Arab countries urged to intervene to stop forced evictions of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah

AMMAN — Palestinians are urging Arab countries to exert increased pressure on Israel to prevent the forced eviction of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied Jerusalem.

According to AFP news agency, 28 Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood are facing eviction in May and August as part of Israeli occupation forces’ attempts to take control of their homes based on an Israeli court order.

Samira Dajani and Adel Budeiri, have lived in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood their whole lives, their house is one of the houses to be evicted in August. They expressed their need for the Jordanian government to help them keep their home.

“I’ve lived my whole life in this house; my parents and I moved in when I was five years old in 1956. I spent my childhood here, and I’m now here after my parents passed away to preserve this house which is a heaven for me,” Dajani told The Jordan Times in an interview conducted over the Zoom platform for video conferencing, on Monday.

Budeiri indicated that they have been living in fear and uncertainty for years, knowing that Israeli forces could take their home at any time as they did in 2008 with three other Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.

“Settlers took over the houses of our beloved neighbours years ago, and we are hoping the same thing does not happen to us, that is why we need the support of the Jordanian government specifically to help us in court facing Israel,” Budeiri said.

Dajani urged the Jordan Bar Association to meet with the Jordanian Parliament and assist them in keeping their homes and rid the younger generation of this problem. 

“We’ve been fighting this for years, and I don’t want my grandchildren to go through the same thing. As the custodian of these 28 families and Jerusalem, Jordan’s efforts are needed now more than ever,” she continued.

Dajani and Budeiri expressed their gratitude for the efforts of youth standing by them against the continued Israeli violations and for spreading the word about the situation in Sheikh Jarrah.

Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and Jerusalem have been broadcasting live streams of Israeli violations on their personal accounts on social media platforms for the public to see and people worldwide have started to voice their solidarity and support for Palestinians by sharing videos and posts about what is happening in Palestine. Several videos have gone viral showing Israeli forces brutally targeting and arresting Palestinian men and women.

Mohammed Al Kurd, a Palestinian resident of Sheikh Jarrah, has been reporting and livestreaming everything on his personal accounts. 

On Monday he tweeted: “Settlers are steel-proofing the windows of the stolen Ghawi home in the neighbourhood, after they moved bags of stones into it last night. It appears they’re preparing to assault Palestinian homes with rocks. No press has been permitted entry.”

Ibrahim Judeh, a resident in Jerusalem, expressed his satisfaction over the social media campaigns and the protests in support of the Palestinians in different countries.  

“People’s interactions and unity with us are different this time. For the first time, we as Palestinians truly felt everyone’s support and how everyone is on our side in agreement with the fact that Israeli forces’ actions are unacceptable,” Judeh told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

“Social media has made people more aware of what is going on in Palestine, which is a positive thing, particularly for the younger generation, who are often unaware of the Palestinian cause, and this is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness,” Judeh added.

Another resident of Jerusalem, who preferred to stay anonymous, condemned the actions of Israeli forces, describing it as “inhumane and unfair.”

“We need everyone to stand by us and to put pressure on the Israelis to stop this eviction and the displacement of Palestinians. Ethnic cleansing is against all human rights and it is considered a war crime,” she told The Jordan Times.

The Jerusalem resident indicated that Palestinians have been facing displacement for decades and they should not be going through this again, “especially amid a pandemic and in the holy month of Ramadan where people must pray and get closer to God”. “Israelis disrespected us during this holy month of peace. I am constantly worried about my elderly parents in Sheikh Jarrah as they are to be evicted in August. My father is sick and cannot handle such a thing,” she said.

She called on the Jordanian government and all Arab countries to help Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and Jerusalem who live under a brutal occupation.

“The social media movement has helped to get the word out and get more people involved, which is amazing. People worldwide now know the truth and see how the situation is. It is great that the younger generation is now aware of the Palestinian cause too,” she said.