Court Orders Palestinians Evicted

Another long-running legal issue was decided in Israel on Sunday: two Palestinian families were evicted from their homes in East Jerusalem after losing a court battle over the ownership of a plot of land in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, near the Old City—a territory that’s been in dispute since the close of Six Day War in 1967. One family, now homeless, had been living in its house for 53 years, and the ruling allowed for the transfer of what eyewitnesses called “Jewish nationalists” into the properties as soon as they were vacated. According to The New York Times, “The police cordoned off the road leading to the disputed houses, stopping journalists from reaching them. Orthodox Jews were allowed through to visit a nearby site believed by Jews to be the ancient tomb of Shimon Hatzadik, or Simeon the Just, a Jewish high priest.” There’s a long and convoluted history involving the United Nations, Jordan, rent payments, forged deeds, and the Ottoman Empire; but, still, so much for settlement freezes, eh?

Israel Evicts Palestinians From Homes [NYT]