No agreement reached with settlers, Sheikh Jarrah residents tell Israeli Supreme Court

Reports suggest that Israel's Supreme Court could issue a ruling as early as next week.

2 min read

06 May, 2021

Sheikh Jarrah protests [Anadolu/Getty-file photo]

Residents were previously ordered to come to terms with the settlers [/Getty-file photo]

Palestinians facing eviction from their homes in East Jerusalem have told Israel's Supreme Court that they have not reached terms with Israeli settlers trying to take their homes, according to reports on Thursday.

The Sheikh Jarrah residents were originally scheduled for eviction on Sunday, however, the Supreme Court afforded them until Thursday to conclude an arrangement.

The families also asked the court on Thursday to allow them to again appeal the eviction order with new proof of ownership, according to Arab48.

The Arabic-language outlet added that the Supreme Court had ordered both parties to attend court next Monday.

A lawyer for the Palestinian families explained they had not dismissed a possible deal under which they would pay rent in exchange for a temporary delay in concluding the matter, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The legal representative added that the settler group seeking control of their homes, Nahalat Shimon, would not permit this unless they dropped assertions they own the houses.

Click here to enlarge the image

Arab48 said it was told the families gave the Supreme Court the news an agreement had not been concluded in writing.

Read more: Fighting Israel's erasure of Palestinian identity in Jerusalem

Speaking ahead of the filing, Aref Hammad, a member of the Sheikh Jarrah Refugees Housing Units Committee, said he had no knowledge of the coming legal timeline.

“It is possible that [the court] takes a decision, and it is possible that it does not take a decision.

“It may take a decision after one year or two years,” he explained, according to Arab48.

The Jerusalem Post suggested that the court might rule soon – perhaps even next week.

This follows a statement published by the European Union on Wednesday which reaffirmed the bloc's view that Israeli West Bank settlements break international law.

It said Brussels would not accept any deviations from Israel and Palestine’s pre-1967 borders without consent from both, explicitly stating that this applies to Jerusalem.

This came after Israel said it would build 540 more homes in the Har Homa E settlement.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected