Israeli police have cleared the disputed Sheikh Jarra area of Jerusalem from Palestinian citizens.
Highlights
- The Jerusalem Municipal Corporation confiscated the property in 2017 with the intention of opening a school for children with special needs.
- Last year, a Jerusalem court, while ruling in favor of the city administration, ordered the evacuation of the area.
- The Salhia family has filed an appeal against the decision, on which the decision is yet to come.
Jerusalem: Israeli police on Wednesday cleared the disputed Sheikh Jarrah area of Jerusalem from Palestinian citizens. Palestinian citizens living in Sheikh Jarra’s residential buildings had violently clashed with police personnel who had come to evacuate the area earlier this week. Several other properties located in the nearby area are also under dispute. According to police, the authorities on Wednesday arrested several people on suspicion of violation of court orders, violent siege and damage to law and order.
The Salhia family, living in Sheikh Jarra, says that they had bought the property before 1967, while the administration has challenged this claim in court. The Jerusalem Municipal Corporation confiscated the property in 2017 with the intention of opening a school for children with special needs. However, the Salhia family continued to run the plant nursery here. Last year, a Jerusalem court, while ruling in favor of the city administration, ordered the evacuation of the area.
The Salhia family has filed an appeal against the decision, on which the decision is yet to come. However, the court did not stay the order to vacate the area. The Jerusalem Municipal Corporation and police issued a statement on Wednesday alleging that the Salhia family was denying the right to education to thousands of children with special needs by forcibly occupying public spaces.
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