Sheikh Jarrah families, NGOs calls for ICC to probe enforced displacement

Representatives of 28 Palestinian families from Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to include their imminent enforced displacement as part of the probe into Israeli crimes in the occupied territories.

The families, who make up approximately 500 people, send their call in a letter to the office of the Prosecutor of the ICC. The letter was endorsed by 191 groups.

In the letter, which was published on a Al-Haq’s website, the families and NGOs called on the ICC to include enforced displacement in its investigation into possible war crimes, crimes against humanity, appropriation of property, persecution, apartheid and other inhumane acts causing great suffering or serious injury to inter alia mental health arising from their forced evictions.

The letter stated that according to a ruling of Israeli courts in favour of eviction lawsuits undertaken by a settler organisation, 87 Palestinians in the neighbourhood are at imminent risk of enforced eviction including four families by 2 May and three other families by 1 August 2021.

Sheikh Jarrah’s families continue to endure a lengthy, exhausting and unaffordable legal battle since 1972 in order to confront the eviction lawsuits brought against them by a settler organisation before Israeli courts, which unlawfully apply discriminatory Israeli domestic laws on the occupied territory.

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