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Palestinian threatens to set himself on fire over Israeli eviction order

January 17, 2022 at 1:58 pm

Israeli security forces stand guard to prevent Palestinians from passing through an Israeli checkpoint at the entrance of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in east Jerusalem, during a protest by demonstrators demanding the reopening of the roadblock, on May 29, 2021 [AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images]

A Palestinian has threatened to set himself and his family on fire in protest of an Israeli eviction order, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Israeli municipal authorities issued an order to expel Mahmoud Al-Salihiya and his family from their house and a plant nursery in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood to build a school in their place.

Years-long attempts by the family to have the order revoked have failed.

Israeli forces, on Monday, managed to vacate the plant nursery by force, and sought to evacuate the house, but Mahmoud climbed to the roof of the house and threatened to set himself and his family ablaze in the event of eviction.

“We will not leave here, either we die or we live,” a fuming Mahmoud shouted as he carried a container of gasoline.

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“The (Israeli) municipality wants to remove a family from their home in order to set up schools. Who are the schools for? Schools for them, for the Jews,” he explained.

“Whoever approaches, I will burn the house which is full of gas pipes, and I will bomb the house with whoever is inside,” he warned.

Some young men, who were among the family’s friends, poured gasoline on the roof of the house.

The house is located near dozens of homes threatened with eviction, which the Israeli Supreme Court has not yet issued a verdict regarding Israeli settlers’ request to evict Palestinian families.