The United Nations urges Israel to end the forced eviction

Evacuations in East Jerusalem May Amount to 'War Crimes'

Protesting the evacuation of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem.

Reuters

The United Nations urged Israel yesterday to end all forced evictions against Palestinians in East Jerusalem, warning that its actions may constitute "war crimes."

"We call on Israel to end all forced evictions immediately," said Robert Colville, spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, during a regular press conference in Geneva.

The call comes after the arrest of 15 Palestinians at night following clashes between Israeli security forces and protesters against the evacuation of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem, according to the police.

The clashes erupted in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem, in the midst of an intense legal battle over the fate of Palestinian families threatened with eviction in favor of Israeli settlers.

Colville added, "We would like to stress that East Jerusalem is still part of the occupied Palestinian territories, and international humanitarian law applies to it."

The current tension revolves around ownership of land on which the homes of four Palestinian families have been built.

Earlier this year, the Jerusalem District Court issued a decision in favor of Jewish families claiming property rights in this neighborhood of East Jerusalem that Israel occupied and annexed.

According to Israeli law, if Jews can prove that their families were living in East Jerusalem before the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, they can demand the restoration of their "right to property."

The law does not include Palestinians who lost their property during the war.

The court's decision angered Palestinians, who challenged it and staged protests that often led to clashes with police.

Colville stressed that "Israel cannot impose its legislative system in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem."

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