CAN ONE ARGUE WITH FACTS?

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August 19, 2009 at 6:44 am (Corrupt Politics, Ethnic Cleansing, Illegal Evictions, Illegal Settlements, Israel, Occupation, Palestine, Status of Jerusalem)

If one is a zionist, one can. The argument presented by them is always the same…. ‘THIS IS ANTI-SEMITISM!’

However, the fact remains, that the following is true!



Fact Sheet: Sheikh Jarrah, Aug 2009Overview

Sheikh Jarrah is a Palestinian residential neighbourhood located to the north of the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem. The area, which is home to approximately 2,700 Palestinians, includes well-known landmarks, such as the Orient House, the American Colony Hotel and the Palestinian National Theatre, as well as many consular missions.

Given the area’s strategic location, Israeli settler organizations have made persistent efforts to take control of land and property and establish a sustained presence in Sheikh Jarrah. This includes the Shepherd Hotel and adjacent land; the grove of Karm El Mufti; the Kubaniyat Im Haroun quarter; and the Karm Al Ja’ouni / Tomb quarter (see map on page 2).

Diverse methods have been used by settler organizations for this purpose. In a number of cases, property expropriated by the Israeli authorities through a complex system of legal, administrative and institutional mechanisms has been leased or transferred to settler organizations. In other cases, settler organizations have made use of the Israeli legal system to lay claim to property allegedly owned by Jewish individuals or associations in the occupied territory prior to 1948. Israeli courts have ruled in favour of such claims while failing to recognize the rights of Palestinian refugees to reclaim lost land and property.

Efforts by settler groups have intensified in recent years and are often accompanied by attempts to forcibly evict Palestinian families and communities to make way for new settlements. In a recent series of evictions on 2 August 2009, 53 Palestinian refugees, including 20 children, were forced out of their homes in Sheikh Jarrah by Israeli authorities following a court ruling. The properties were handed over to a settler organization which intends to build a new settlement in the area, placing at least 24 other buildings and their estimated 300 residents at risk of forced eviction.

Full_Report (pdf* format – 3 Mbytes)

Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)