The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday froze the pending eviction of the Salem family from their occupied East Jerusalem home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. The family, which was expelled from Jaffa during the Nakba in 1948, and settled in Sheikh Jarrah.  

Hadash MKs Ofer Cassif and Aida Touma-Sliman during the weekly demonstration against occupation at the Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, Friday, February 25, 2022 (Photo: Zo Haderech)

An initial court eviction order from 1988 was never executed. According to Ir Amim, which has been following the case, the court records were destroyed and the details of the cases are not known.

In December, far-right Jerusalem city councilman Jonathan Yosef, who acquired the property rights of the home delivered an eviction notice to the family together with racist Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Aryeh King.

In January, the Enforcement and Collection Authority’s registrar said the family could be evicted as early as March 1, according to Ir Amim. The family last week appealed to the magistrate’s court, which accepted the petition and suspended the eviction.

The international community, including the European Union, has called on Israel not to force the family to leave their home. Tensions were further raised when racist MK Itamar Ben-Gvir (Religious Zionism) set up a tent outside the Salem family home.

More on Ir Amim: https://www.ir-amim.org.il/en

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=30161