Palestine Calls for International Intervention to Stop Expulsion of Indigenous People from Jerusalem

Jerusalem, MINA – Palestinian Authority Minister for Jerusalem Affairs, Fadi Al-Hidmi on Monday, called for international intervention urging Israel to stop the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhoods, Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan.

“The international community must intervene urgently and urge to pressure the Israeli Government to stop the forced displacement of indigenous Palestinians from their homes (in the occupied city), given the insistence of Israeli government agencies and judiciary to ignore decisions of international legitimacy,” he said as quoted from Wafa.

Al-Hidmi indicated that expelling Palestinians from their homes in an indigenous city was politically motivated and aimed at implementing plans for expansion of colonial Jewish settlements.

“What is happening is a systematic programmed process to replace the Palestinians displaced from their land and property with foreign settlers,” he added.

Al-Hidmi pointed to the Israeli Occupation Authority and settler groups who exploiting the Israeli judiciary as a tool to pass settlement plans designed to promote ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by expelling them and replacing them with settlers.

Commenting on Sheikh Jarrah’s neighborhood, he noted that residents have faced unfair lawsuits filed by settler groups since 1974, demanding them to flee in favor of settler groups who want to set up colonial settler units on the rubble of their homes.

Under the pretext of illegal construction, Israel regularly destroys Palestinian homes to limit Palestinian expansion in occupied Jerusalem.

At the same time, the municipal government and the Government of Israel built tens of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements in East Jerusalem for Jews with the aim of balancing the favorable demographic balance of Jewish settlers in the occupied city.

Although Palestinians in East Jerusalem, part of the internationally recognized Palestinian Territories have been subject to Israeli military occupation since 1967, they are denied citizenship rights and are only classified as “residents” whose permits can be revoked if they move from the city for more than a few years.

They are also discriminated against in all aspects of life including housing, employment and public services, and are unable to access services in the West Bank due to the construction of Israel’s separation barrier. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)