Posted on April 23, 2021, by & filed under East Jerusalem, House Demolitions, News, Webinars.


Wednesday 12th May 2021         5.00-6.15pm (UK time)

with Jeff Halper interviewing residents from Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah

 

The campaign concerning house demolitions and displacement continues on both the activist and political levels. Israel’s ongoing intention to Judaize all of historic Palestine has been relentless even during the Coronavirus pandemic that has had a devastating effect on the Palestinian population. It is now reaching a critical peak as Israeli authorities seek to dislodge Palestinians from key areas of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, thereby consolidating its control permanently. Among the most urgent flashpoints that will be highlighted in this webinar are:

  • Sheikh Jarrah: Strategically located in East Jerusalem on a potential corridor between Israeli West Jerusalem and the Hebrew University to the east, the Palestinian neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah represents an opportunity for both a critical extension of the neighbouring religious Jewish communities and the expansion of Israeli settlement and infrastructure over a key part of the Palestinian city. More than 65 families are threatened with eviction and of them, twelve extended families face imminent eviction by Israeli settlers who claim the land. Although their claims have not been upheld in Israel courts, they did succeed in registering the land with the Israel Lands Authority, and it is on that basis that evictions are proceeding.
  • Silwan: Another critical Palestinian neighbourhood with a population of some 45,000 people, located to the south of Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif of the Old City, Silwan has long been coveted by the Israeli government as a major tourist site. Eighty-eight homes, housing some 5000 residents in the neighbourhood’s centre, have been slated for demolition to make way for an archaeological park. Well-financed settler organizations like El’Ad and Ateret Cohanim also invest considerable sums of money and legal effort to replace Palestinian residents with Jewish ones. Hundreds of other homes, either in apartment blocks or individual family dwellings, face imminent eviction or demolition, while vast Israeli construction of housing projects (for Jews) and tourist facilities are planned. Much of the defence of Silwan has focused recently on the Sumarin family, struggling in court to prevent the Jewish National Fund from taking its home and passing it on to the El’Ad settlers.

Hear from ICAHD’s Jeff Halper as he speaks with Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan. Receive the latest news and find out what internationals can do to demonstrate solidarity at this critical time.