Middle East Monitor / April 25, 2022
The Israeli Magistrate’s Court in Jerusalem today decided today to continue to freeze the eviction of the Palestinian Salem family from their home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
According to Wafa news agency, the court decided to continue the freeze order after accepting an appeal by the family against the intended eviction by Jewish settler groups.
The judge also returned the file to the execution and procedure judge to hold further discussions on the case, noting flaws in the procedures presented by the settlers that must be reconsidered, according to Nasser Qous, an activist, who told Wafa that this could result in the dismissal of the whole case.
Majed Ghanayem, the Salem family lawyer, confirmed to Arab48 the court’s decision to continue to freeze the eviction order until a final decision is issued in the near future.
Earlier this year an Israeli court ordered that the 11-member Salem family be evicted from their homes between 1 March and 1 April.
The residence of the Salem family — three generations who were born in the home — is located on the western side of Sheikh Jarrah. Out of the 45 Palestinian families that live in the neighbourhood, 17 are facing eviction orders.
The Salems, though, are said to be the only ones who have seen the legal process through to its conclusion, with the Jerusalem courts rejecting the residents’ appeals.
Like many Palestinians living in Sheikh Jarrah, the Salems were expecting to be thrown out of their homes imminently.
Last Ramadan, the threat of eviction of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah sparked weeks of violence, culminating in Israel’s brutal 11-day military assault on the Gaza Strip, which killed 230 Palestinians, including 65 children.
Lawyers working to evict Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah are said to be financed by right-wing NGOs that are working to populate the neighbourhood with Jewish settlers.
