What is happening in Sheikh Jarrah : In the past couple of days, social media has been flooded with posts in solidarity with Sheikh Jarrah. Palestinian families residing in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah are facing eviction from their homes. According to International Law, East Jerusalem legally belongs to Palestinian territories. Israeli authorities, however, have ignored the jurisdiction and have been illegally occupying the land for decades now. Israel maintains full control of the land, which is why it is known as occupied East Jerusalem. Government-backed Israeli settlement organizations are and have been occupying Palestinian homes for a while. The settlers receive support from the Israeli army so if Palestinians do not leave their homes, they are forcefully escorted by the Israeli soldiers.
Why are Israeli’s evicting Palestinians? The Israeli courts ruled that Israeli settlers can move into Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli settlers have long had their eye on Sheikh Jarrah. As of 2009, settlers evicted three families from their homes in the neighbourhood. Today, approximately 200 Palestinians face forced eviction. Israeli settlers aim to take control over the entire Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood to strengthen their position in occupied East Jerusalem where Palestinians already hold little to no rights. The Palestinians have submitted appeals to the Israeli court to be allowed to keep their homes, however, they will most likely be rejected. The Israeli settlers’ attempts to make Palestinians homeless set yet another example of ethnic cleansing and war crimes by the Israeli government. In recent days, hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets of Sheikh Jarrah to peacefully protest against forced evictions in an attempt to protect the families that are about to be evicted from their homes. The protests are non-violent and involve Palestinians chanting and breaking fasts together as it is the month of Ramadan. However, some of the homes in the neighbourhood are already occupied by Israeli settlers, who reported the protests to the Israeli soldiers. The soldiers have responded to the protests by spraying the Palestinians with Skunk water, which is a chemically enhanced sewage water. In addition, the soldiers have broken into Palestinian homes and instigated fights in an attempt to arrest the protestors.