Jordanian youth voice solidarity with Palestinian brethren in Sheikh Jarrah

AMMAN — The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for immediate international intervention to halt Israel’s legalisation of illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued on Wednesday, strongly condemned the Knesset Committee's approval of “this expansionist colonial and discriminatory rule, which undermines any chance of achieving peace in accordance with international standards, and the UN and its institutions' ability to maintain their integrity”, Petra, reported.

Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem are facing eviction as part of Israeli attempts to take control of their homes.

A video by AFP news agency shows Palestinians being brutally arrested during confrontations with Israeli forces in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.

Meanwhile, Jordanian youth and students on Wednesday took to the streets of Amman to voice their solidarity and support for Palestinians.

Tajdeed, a national student group at the University of Jordan, organised the protest in front of the Lower House in solidarity with the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.

Heba Albaz, a 24-year-old Palestinian-Jordanian, who took part in the protest said: “As we cannot physically be there, the very least we can do for those who are being forced to leave their homes is to show our full support and unity with them through our demonstration.” 

As many videos and photographs of Palestinians’ confrontations with Israeli forces went viral, Jordanians and people all over the world expressed their outrage and solidarity with Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah on social media. 

The hashtags #SaveSheikhJarrah and #PalestinianLivesMatter dominated conversations across all social media platforms.

US Congressman Chuy Garcia, the Representative for Illinois’ 4th district, tweeted: “The violent attempts to displace families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood are appalling. The State Department must condemn ongoing Israeli police violence against Palestinians.”

A twitter user under the name Mariam called on the international community to exert pressure on the Israeli occupation to stop the displacement, settlements and colonial policies in Sheikh Jarrah and all other neighbourhoods of occupied Jerusalem, such as Batn Al Hawa in Silwan “in favour of the settler associations that openly work for a complete Judaisation of Jerusalem and the evacuation of its Palestinian residents”.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Thursday announced that it had ratified 14 agreements between the former Jordanian Ministry of Construction and the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, and had handed them over to the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the people and their lawyers.

In a statement the Ministry’s spokesperson, Daifallah Fayez, said that these documents were handed over on Thursday in the framework of the Kingdom's keenness to provide all possible support to the people of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, in a way that preserves their rights and keeps them in their homes. 

With all the records they have, including lease contracts, beneficiary lists and correspondence, as well as a copy of the 1954 agreement signed with UNRWA, they will help Jerusalemites retain their full rights, he said.

“Preserving Jerusalemites’ rights to their land and their homes are permanent constants in the Kingdom's efforts to support Palestinians. The Kingdom condemns and rejects Israel's illegal and inhumane attempts to evict Palestinians from their homes and lands and violate their rights,” Fayez said.