Proposed evictions of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem in favor of Jewish settlers led to international outcry and is a significant factor contributing to the escalation of tensions in May 2021, culminating in the Al-Aqsa Mosque Raid and the subsequent conflict
The Sheikh Jarrah evictions controversy centers around a complex legal battle over property rights in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. This area, located in East Jerusalem, has been a focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli law allows Jews to reclaim properties in East Jerusalem that were owned by Jews before 1948. Conversely, Palestinian families living in these properties, many of whom had been refugees from other parts of what became Israel in 1948, claimed they were the legal inhabitants. The possibility of evicting Palestinian families in favor of Jewish settlers led to international outcry and was cited as a significant factor contributing to the escalation of tensions in May 2021, culminating in the Al-Aqsa Mosque Raid and the subsequent conflict.
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Sheikh Jarrah was once an orchard and saw the migration of wealthy Palestinian families in the early 20th century, seeking to escape the congested Old City
Defense
Post-1967, Israeli settler groups claimed the land, leading to numerous lawsuits and evictions of Palestinian families, intensifying the conflict in Sheikh Jarrah
Defense
In 1956, 28 Palestinian families, part of the 750,000 displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, settled in Sheikh Jarrah with houses built by Jordan and the approval of UNRWA
Defense