On Wednesday, Israeli police arrested over a dozen people and evicted a Palestinian family from the disputed Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. The police also demolished the family’s house, prompting international criticism, including from the United States and the European countries.
Jerusalem city authorities argue that the building was an illegal structure and needed to be demolished to construct a large school for Palestinian children with special needs. “We do this for any structure that is built illegally. It happens in West Jerusalem, and it happens in East Jerusalem,” Jerusalem deputy mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum said.
Hassan-Nahoum said that the building, which is currently owned by the Salihiya family, was built illegally in the 1990s. However, the Salihiya’s have disputed this claim, saying that their family has owned land in Sheikh Jarrah since the 1950s.
The Sheikh Jarrah dispute dates back to the 1940s, before the creation of Israel. The Israeli organisation fighting for the eviction — Nahalot Shimon — argues that the Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah were built on land owned by Jews before the 1948 War of Independence. Following the war, the disputed area came under the control of Jordan, who leased the land to the families.
Israel recaptured the area following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and transferred all properties, including the homes in Sheikh Jarrah, to the Israeli government. Furthermore, in 1970, Israel passed a law declaring the return of the land to its original owners, resulting in decades of legal disputes with the Palestinian families residing in Sheikh Jarrah.
But Palestinians living in the area reject these claims, saying that their families have been living in Sheikh Jarrah for generations. Facing the risk of eviction, Palestinians living in the area have frequently resorted to protests, leading to confrontations with Israeli settlers and the police.
Israel’s move to evict the family and demolish their home has prompted both domestic and international criticism. Left-wing Israeli party Meretz, which is a part of the ruling coalition, condemned the move. “As thieves in the night, officers arrived to evict the Salihiya family into the freezing street. These are the lives of Palestinians in East Jerusalem,” Meretz member of Knesset Mossi Raz said on Wednesday.
The United States (US), as well as several European countries, expressed concerns over the move. US envoy to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the move would “exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated Two-State Solution.”
Statement by the Foreign Ministries of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain on Israeli settlement construction:
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) January 19, 2022
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Moreover, the foreign ministers of France, Italy, Germany and Spain urged Israel to stop the construction of a school in Sheikh Jarrah. In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the countries said that the construction would constitute an “additional obstacle” to the Two-State Solution.
“This decision directly threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. Israeli settlements are in clear violation of international law and stand in the way of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” the statement read.
In May, tensions escalated rapidly when Palestinians and Israelis engaged in violent physical confrontations over Sheikh Jarrah. The clashes soon spread to the West Bank and the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and saw the involvement of Israeli security forces who used force against the protesters and even raided the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, injuring over 200 Palestinians.
The violence in Sheikh Jarrah was one of the key flashpoints that led to a brutal 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The fighting saw militants in Gaza launch more than 4,000 rockets at Israel that killed 12 people. Israel responded by launching airstrikes that killed more than 200 Palestinians, including over 60 children.