UN calls on Israel to halt demolishing Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood
The United Nations has called on the Israeli regime to immediately halt its razing of Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied West Bank, especially in the flashpoint Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of the occupied East al-Quds.
Speaking during a press briefing in New York on Wednesday, Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, demanded Tel Aviv immediately call off all forced evictions.
“We are following up closely the situation in East Jerusalem (al-Quds)'s Sheikh Jarrah and the possibility of evicting Palestinians from their homes,” Dujarric said.
“It is very important to de-escalate the tension and maintain self-control and tranquility. We continuously ask the Israeli authorities to put an end to the policy of demolishing Palestinian homes and stop evicting Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and anywhere else in the West Bank.”
Several international organizations and regional blocs have denounced the displacing of Palestinian families from their ancestral homes in Sheikh Jarrah as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and a flagrant violation of international law and humanitarian principles.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) recently censured the recent attacks by Israeli military forces and settlers against the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah.
In a statement released on Monday, the 57-member body said Israel’s policy of Judaization of East al-Quds, its settlement expansion, and the forced displacement of Palestinian families stand in flagrant violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.
The OIC also urged the international community to intervene for the good of the Palestinians.
The European Union earlier demanded an end to violent clashes between Israeli military forces and Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah.
Tensions have been running high since a controversial far-right Jewish lawmaker opened an office in the neighborhood in what was described as an effort to exacerbate the situation in the district. Scuffles broke out on Sunday as Itamar Ben Gvir of the Religious Zionism alliance opened the office in Sheikh Jarrah.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned Ben Gvir’s step as a “provocative and escalating move that threatens to ignite violence.” The ministry said the failure of the international community and the UN Security Council to take necessary measures to compel Israel to stop its occupation of al-Quds encourages the occupying power to forge ahead with its colonial Judaization projects in the Holy City.
Israeli forces have blocked off the western part of the flash neighborhood for the fifth consecutive day.
Sheikh Jarrah has been the scene of frequent crackdowns by Israeli forces on the Palestinians protesting against the threatened expulsion of dozens of Palestinian families from their homes in favor of Israeli settlers.
Since Israel seized East al-Quds in a 1967 war, Israeli settler organizations have claimed ownership of land in Sheikh Jarrah and filed multiple lawsuits to evict Palestinians from the area. Much of the international community considers the Israeli settlement structures illegal under international law due to their construction on occupied territory.
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