Days of Palestine – Jerusalem

Representatives of 28 Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, in addition to the 191 organizations supporting them, sent a letter to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, calling for the urgent action of their imminent forced displacement from the neighborhood, as part of the ongoing investigation into the situation in Palestine.

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the families called on the Office of the Prosecutor to include war crimes and crimes against humanity related to their forced displacement as part of the investigation, including forcible transfer, appropriation of property, persecution, and apartheid.

The families demanded that the crimes also include all inhuman acts that cause severe suffering or serious harm to the body, mental or physical health.

The letter to the Prosecutor included clarification on the fate of 87 Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, who are at risk of imminent forced eviction, including four families by May 2, 2021, and three other families by August 1, after Israel court decisions were issued in favor of the settlements.

It explained that the currently forced evictions are the second or third forced displacement of those families, after their forced displacement from their homes in Palestinian towns, cities, and villages during the Nakba, and the continuous denial of their inalienable right to return to their homes and properties since 1948.

In their message, the families shed light on the coercive environment they are exposed to in Jerusalem, which aims to change the demographic composition of the city to secure Israeli control over Jerusalem and to push for the continued displacement of Palestinians.

The Jerusalemite families continue their steadfastness in a long, exhausting, and costly battle since 1972 in order to confront the legal lawsuits filed against them by the settlement organization before the Israeli courts, which unlawfully apply discriminatory Israeli domestic law on the occupied land.

Today, the families are seeking to hold the Israeli occupation accountable before the International Criminal Court, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

Among the organizations that have supported families are Palestinian, Israeli, regional, and international human rights institutions, Palestinian coalitions representing more than 140 Palestinian civil society organizations, solidarity groups for Palestine, faith organizations, indigenous peoples’ organizations, ethnic justice organizations, and student groups.