Israel’s Supreme Court adjourned a plea from four Palestinian families alongside their forced eviction from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, as the families said they have precluded a court proposal for them to stay as “protected tenants” on the condition of recognizing Israeli ownership.
On Monday, the cases examined elaborated on four Palestinian families, numbering a total of about 70 people. Lower Israeli courts have permitted the expulsions of the four families to make way for Jewish settlers. They ruled that their houses were built on land owned by Jews before Israel was established in 1948.
But considering a last-ditch appeal from the residents, the court suggested a deal that would give them status as “protected tenants” who would recognize Israeli ownership of the homes and pay a symbolic annual rent. This offer was refused by the families in question.
Judge Isaac Amit called for further documentation and said, “We will publish a decision later,” but did not set a specific date for the decision.
In the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, Palestinians have been hit hard by orders from an Israeli court forcibly demanding families living in the area to vacate their homes, which they have described as a continuation of the ethnic cleansing that began in 1948. Palestinian families from the Silwan area of East Jerusalem also participated in the forced evictions.
This was also a factor in starting the conflict between Israel and the governing body in the Gaza Strip, Hamas, in May.
