Israeli supreme court postpones decision on eviction at Sheikh Jarrah amidst growing protests

The opposition to Israeli attempts to evict Palestinian residents from Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem to build Jewish settlements has also increased across the occupied territories and around the world

May 07, 2021 by Peoples Dispatch
Israeli forces arrest youth at a protest against the evictions in Sheikh Jarrah. Photo: Oren Ziv

Amid continuing protests and claims of social media censorship, the Israeli supreme court ordered postponement of the decision on the evict Sheikh Jarrah’s eviction order on Thursday, May 6, after no compromise was reached between the Palestinian families and Jewish settlers. The court will hear the appeal filed by some of the families on Monday. 

Meanwhile, protests against eviction in occupied East Jerusalem continued on Thursday. The Israeli forces continued to use heavy force including tear gas and water cannons against the protesters and arrested at least a dozen. One Palestinian teenager was also wounded when he was fired at.  

#SaveSheikhJarrah

The protesters have been opposing the order for the eviction of 13 Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah in the old city. An Israeli court had asked residents of Sheikh Jarrah to vacate their houses claiming that the land belongs to Jews. Most of the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah are refugees who had fled from their homes during Nakba in 1948. Israel wants to build a Jewish settlement after vacating the Palestinians.

On Thursday, several activists both inside the occupied territories and in the US claimed that their social media posts regarding the Sheikh Jarrah protests and oppression by the security forces and settlers were removed by Instagram without any explanation. 

Israeli attempt to evict Palestinians from the homes in which they are living for generations has invited the allegations of ethnic cleansing and apartheid on social media platforms. Several political figures, including Jeremy Corbyn and US congresspersons, have written against Sheikh Jarrah eviction. 

Several organizations are carrying out protest action against the eviction internationally. In the UK, at least 14 civil society groups and unions signed a petition asking the British government to take action against Israeli attempts to evict the residents of Sheikh Jarrah on Wednesday. Several organizations including CODEPINK in the US have given calls for protests on Saturday.  

Israeli forces kill a Palestinian teenager 

On Wednesday, Israeli security forces killed a teenage boy, Saeed Youssef Odeh, and injured another in the occupied West Bank. The incident took place when they fired on protesters opposing occupation forces’ blocking of people’s movement in the village Beita, south of the Nablus city.

After shooting him in the back twice, the Israeli forces detained 16-year-old Odeh and returned his body to the Palestinian Red Crescent later. The other teen shot by Israeli forces was taken to a hospital and is recuperating from his injuries.  

Several social media posts mourning the death of Odeh identify him as an emerging football player and part of the Balata youth team from the neighboring Odala village.  

Protests in and around Nablus city in the occupied West Bank are being organized following continued harassment and blockade of people’s movements by the Israeli security forces. Israeli forces claimed that they are searching for a suspect involved in a shooting last Sunday in which three Israelis were wounded. According to Israel’s defense minister Benny Gantz one of the injured Israelis died in the hospital on Wednesday.

During the searches, Israeli soldiers have been using heavy force such as surrounding the villages and agricultural structures and blowing up peoples’ houses. The use of heavy force has invited strong opposition from the locals leading to protests. Israeli forces have used tear gas, rubber coated bullets and even live ammunition in an attempt to stop these protests, leading to several being injured.  

After the week-long Israeli violence against Palestinians in East Jerusalem following their opposition to restrictions on gathering near Damascus gate in the old city during Ramadan prayers and Sheikh Jarrah eviction orders, there has been an increase in protests against Israeli occupation all across the occupied territories.