Israel evicts Palestinian family in Jerusalem as settlers move in

A squad of Israeli police officers, border guards and illegal Jewish settlers have stormed a Palestinian home in occupied Jerusalem to evict the family on the pretext that the land is owned by the settlers. The Hamdallah family home is in the Silwan district of Jerusalem; they were given a deadline of Sunday morning to get out of the property.

The eviction is the latest in a series of moves against the family which have witnessed a legal conflict for more than 15 years. According to Wadi Hilweh Information Centre, in 2005 the Supreme Court in Israel ruled that the family could stay in those parts of the building which were built before 1989; the rest have to be evacuated. The Hamdallah family has lived on the land in question since 1952, having bought it legally from the Al-Ghoul family.

Palestinian sources said that the house is located in a strategic area, overlooking Al-Aqsa Mosque, and is regarded as a stumbling block for the completion of Maaleh HaZeitim, being situated right in the middle of the settlement. The sources also pointed out that the Monastery of Abraham’s House is located nearby.