New Israeli settlement project in Jerusalem

Israeli Meyashvei Zion association revealed that a new settlement project is scheduled to be built at the expense of the public park in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Occupied Jerusalem.

Three buildings are scheduled to be built in the neighborhood, each one of them includes 12 new housing units, the settlement association explained.

A number of Jerusalemite homes will be evacuated and demolished during the construction process, according to the association.

The confiscated land is located in Um Haroun area in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and owned by Hijazi and al-Saadi families.

Commenting on the settlement project, Israeli Peace Now organization said that the evacuation of Jerusalemite Palestinians from their homes and properties is based on a discriminatory law, which allows the right of return to Jews only.

The establishment of settlement outposts in the heart of Palestinian neighborhood is a recipe for increased tensions, hatred and violence, according to the rights group.

Peace Now called on the Israeli government to prevent the eviction of the families from the properties since this is not a real estate issue but rather is a political issue that obstructs the possibility of reaching an agreement based on the two-state solution.

Last week the Jerusalem Magistrates Court ruled the eviction of five housing units in the neighborhood of Um Haroun in Sheikh Jarrah. Israeli judge Anna Schneider ruled that the Qiswani family must evict its home and leave it to the Shabali Company, owned by Jewish investors affiliated with Jerusalem City Council Member Arieh King. King himself runs a settler organization called “Israel Land Fund,” and he is the one behind the efforts to evict Palestinian families and handing over their homes to settlers in Sheikh Jarrah in particular and in East Jerusalem in general.

At the center of the lawsuit is plot 38 that includes three housing units, a café and a small college, in an area of approximately 220 square meters. In 2007 the General Custodian released the property, which until then was rented to the Qiswani family that resided there since 1948, to a Jewish family.

Then, in 2010, the Jewish family sold the majority of the property (11/16) to the Shabali Company.

While the Qiswani family members argued that they have a lease for 20 years, provided to them by Meir Nadav of the General Custodian’s office, the court ruled that this document is invalid.

In 2008, Meyashvei Zion association illegally confiscated six Palestinian homes owned by al-Kurd family under the protection of Israeli police.

Source: PNN