Ameinu condemns the violent pre-dawn eviction of the Salihya family and the demolition of their home in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. The Saliyahs are among 300 Palestinians who are currently being threatened with eviction from various properties in Sheikh Jarrah in an effort to change the demographic make up of this historically Palestinian neighborhood. This incident is the latest attempt by Israeli authorities to “reclaim” properties in East Jerusalem that were once owned by Jews prior to Israel’s independence in 1948. While Israel’s judicial system recognizes Jewish claims, it refuses to recognize similar Palestinian ones.
“The brutal eviction of the Salihya family was an ill-conceived and ill-timed act by the Jerusalem municipality that highlights the inequities between Israelis and Palestinians under Israeli law,” said Ameinu President Kenneth Bob. “This is not simply a ‘real estate dispute’ as some would have us believe. It is an unnecessary provocation that risks further inflaming tensions between the two sides and further diminishes the hopes for coexistence and peaceful relations between Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem and beyond,” Ken added.
