A delegation of European diplomats today visited Palestinian families at the imminent risk of forced expulsion in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Headed by EU representative in Palestine, Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff and comprising some 25 diplomats, the delegation visited the houses of dozens of Palestinian families at the impending threat of dispossession and forcible transfer and had the opportunity to witness first-hand their suffering.
Among the families that the delegation visited was the Salem family that has received an ‘eviction’ order from their house where they have been living for over 70 years in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
The delegation also visited the Sab-Laban family, whose house is located just a few dozen meters away from Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Burgsdorff voiced his concerns over the current situation in the neighborhood, while pointing that the European Union (EU) was sparing no effort to prevent the implementation of the ‘eviction’ orders in the neighborhood.
He reiterated the EU’s rejection of the policies implemented by the Israeli occupation authorities in Jerusalem in violation of international law.
The Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood became has become a scene of massive protests against Israel’s settler-colonialism in the occupied territories since the Israeli occupation authorities decided to forcibly expel dozens of families from their houses in favor of colonial settler groups.
Palestinians have maintained that the Israeli occupation authorities decision to ‘evict’ the families from their houses in favor of the settler groups is politically-motivated and comes as part of Israel’s efforts to ethnically cleanse Jerusalemite Palestinians.
Since the occupation of Jerusalem by Israel in June 1967, Israeli settlers colonial organizations, including Elad and Ateret Cohanim, have claimed ownership of Palestinian property in Jerusalem. Backed by the Israeli state, judiciary and security services, these organizations have been working on wresting control of Palestinian property and convert it into colonial outposts as part of the efforts to ensure a Jewish majority in the city, as well as on managing archaeological sites in Silwan and overseeing their excavation. This scheme involves building new colonial tourist sites, such as the ‘City of David’, to bolster their propaganda.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency