Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, demanded on Wednesday that Israeli authorities immediately cease displacing Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem.
Wennesland’s statement at the UN Security Council briefing came after Israeli forces damaged a Palestinian home in the Sheikh Jarrah area earlier on Wednesday. Israeli police stormed the Salhiyeh family’s home before morning and abused numerous occupants, the family’s lawyer, Walid Tayeh, expressed.
Wennesland expressed alarm about the possibility of further Palestinian families being evicted from their houses in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan areas, which he believes might spark bloodshed.
“I urge Israeli authorities to put an end to Palestinian displacement and eviction, in accordance with international law, and to approve further plans that would allow Palestinian communities to construct legitimately and meet their development needs,” Wennesland stated.
Israeli police claimed they were enforcing a court-ordered eviction order against what they described as “illegal structures placed on school grounds.”
Since 2017, when Israeli municipal officials allotted the land on which the house sits to build a school, the house has been the focal point of an anti-expulsion movement. The Salhiyeh family stated that they have lived in the residence since 1948, following their expulsion from West Jerusalem’s Ein Karen area.
