Fearing international uproar, Bennett to postpone Sheikh Jarrah evictions

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is expected to postpone the Sheikh Jarrah evictions, a source close to him told an Israeli newspaper on Tuesday, citing Bennett’s fear of international uproar.

On Monday, the Israeli Supreme Court is scheduled to hold a hearing session to decide whether to evict four Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah.

The source said that Bennett is seriously considering a delay of the court session, noting that the government could freeze the proceedings for another six months, according to The Times of Israel.

Bennett does not want the eviction to create problems for his first planned visit to the White House as prime minister, given Washington’s opposition to the evictions.

Another reason, according to the source, is to refute Hamas’s narrative that the latest confrontation between Israel and the Palestinian resistance in Gaza in May was in response to Israel’s attempt to evict Jerusalemites from their homes.

Hamas confirmed that it was involved in the confrontation in May because of the Israeli plans to evict Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, along with other reasons including repeated Israeli aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalemites.

According to The Jerusalem Post, this brought international attention to the plight of the Palestinian people living in Sheikh Jarrah under pending eviction decisions.

READ: Israel continues to target Al-Aqsa Mosque under new government