Sheikh Jarrah – Update (27 Feb 2022)

Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court Puts an Indefinite Hold on Salem Family Eviction in Sheikh Jarrah

We are pleased to share with you that, this past Tuesday, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court put an indefinite hold on the eviction of the Salem family from their home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.

The Salems have been living in the home since 1951, when they leased it from the Jordanian government. After 1967, the family rented the apartment from a Jewish family, the Haddads, who were the owners before 1948. The Haddads, however, have since sold their interest in the property to a rightwing Jerusalem city council member, Yonatan Yosef, who is now pushing for their eviction.

While the court reportedly based its ruling on security considerations—the rising tensions in the city, which could boil over throughout Israel and Palestine, and the sensitive timing, as both Passover and the month of Ramadan approach—the decision itself is a victory: It affords the family time to submit an additional appeal, and allows the coalition of organizations campaigning for the Palestinians of Sheikh Jarrah an opportunity to amplify their message, domestically and internationally. Partners for Progressive Israel will continue to be part of that vital effort.

Meanwhile, in the Knesset, Meretz MK Mossi Raz has submitted a bill that would repeal the blatantly discriminatory statute which provides the legal cover for the displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the transfer of their homes to settlers. The 1950 Absentees’ Property Law allows Jews to reclaim the property they owned before 1948, but denies that same right to Palestinians. Though it is unlikely to pass, the bill serves as another vehicle to shed light on the injustice of the evictions.