Jerusalem Court Delays Hearing In Palestinian Eviction Case

Jerusalem, May 9 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th May, 2021 ) :Israel's justice ministry said it would delay a key Monday hearing in a case that could see Palestinian families evicted from their Jerusalem homes to make way for Jewish settlers.

"In all the circumstances and in light of the attorney general's request, the regular hearing for tomorrow, May 10, 2021 (is) cancelled," it said in a statement Sunday, adding it would schedule a new hearing within 30 days.

Dozens of Palestinians and several Israeli police officers have been wounded in clashes in recent days in east Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, the scene of a long-running land dispute and located a short walk from flashpoint holy sites.

The case dates back to before the creation of the state of Israel, when a small Jewish community lived in Sheikh Jarrah.

After Israel's independence and the 1948 war with its Arab neighbours, east Jerusalem came under the control of Jordan.

Many refugees settled in the district after fleeing Zionist forces in other parts of what was now Israel.

Israel then seized East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it.

Early this year, the Jerusalem district court ruled in favour of Jewish settlers who laid claim to land in the Sheikh Jarrah district, now home to around 30 Palestinians from four families.

Palestinians argue that discriminatory laws mean they are unable to claim back their properties inside what is now Israel.

The Palestinian families' lawyer, Hosni Abu Hussein, also accused the settlers of fraud.

"The registration of the lands in the name of the settlement association took place through fraud and deception, in collusion with the commissioner of public properties and the registrar of Israeli lands," he told AFP.

The dispute, in a strategic location close to Jerusalem's Old City, has added fuel to tensions around the nearby Al-Aqsa mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Hamas Islamists in Gaza have threatened attacks against Israel if the high-profile case goes against the Palestinian families.

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