Court suspends eviction order against Palestinian family in East Jerusalem

An Israeli court on Tuesday has suspended the eviction order against a Palestinian family, who lived in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem.

The decision was welcomed by the family that would otherwise be evicted in March.

Recent provocative acts of certain Jewish groups in the region are believed to have affected the court's decision.

Speaking to an Anadolu Agency journalist afterwards, 73-year-old Fatma Salim said “I am delighted that the eviction order has been suspended. They were going to force us out at the beginning of March. But thank Allah our lawyer Macid Ganayim informed us that the decision has been suspended.”

Fatma Salim said she wasn’t informed about how long the suspension would last, but that they have to pay the court 25,000 shekels (approx. $7750) for the ruling to be valid.

Fatma Salim’s son Eyup Salim said that even though he is happy about the ruling, the threat of eviction still loomed over their heads.

Eyup Salim said “We are anxious that they will do what they did to the Semase family home. Their eviction was also suspended because of the tensions in the neighbourhood. But days later their home was invaded and they were forcibly removed. I hope it will turn out to be what’s best for us.”

Last week, at least 31 Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood sustained injuries and 12 others were detained when the Israeli forces attacked a rally by the Palestinians who were protesting Israeli eviction orders against Palestinian families.

Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir had arrived in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and pitched a tent in front of the Palestinian Salim family home in the morning of February 13, 2022. Ben-Gvir was later joined by fanatic Israeli settlers and there was an altercation between the Israeli settlers and Palestinians who protested their actions.

Israeli police interfered with Palestinian protesters with sound bombs, armoured vehicles, horseback police and plastic bullets. At least 20 people had been arrested and dozens were injured.

Last year, tensions ran high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood after an Israeli court ordered the eviction of several Palestinian families in favour of Israeli settlers.

In 1956, 28 families settled in Sheikh Jarrah under an agreement between the Jordanian government, which ruled the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, before the Israeli occupation in 1967, and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Israeli settlement associations, however, claim that the homes were built on land that was owned by Jews before 1948, a claim vehemently rejected by Palestinians.