Supreme Court to discuss appeal against pending evictions of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah

The Supreme Court decides to hold a discussion on Monday regarding the appeal of several East Jerusalem Palestinian families threatened with eviction in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Four East Jerusalem Palestinian families — over 70 people — are currently facing eviction in the neighborhood. They are likely to be displaced by right-wing Jewish nationalists, who reclaimed the land on which the Palestinian homes were built after 1948.

Supreme Court Justice Daphne Barak-Erez had asked the two sides to reach a compromise by today. But the Palestinians refused to accept any deal which would involve recognizing the Jewish claim to their homes.

The timing of the session is somewhat unfortunate, as Monday is Jerusalem Day. The holiday, which commemorates Israel’s conquest of the city’s eastern half in 1967, regularly sees heightened tensions between Israeli Jews and Palestinian residents. Religious-nationalist Jews hold a march through the Old City, including Palestinian areas, and often seek to enter the flashpoint Temple Mount in large numbers.

Jerusalem has seen heightened tensions in recent weeks, with both Palestinian demonstrators and Jewish extremists clashing violently with police in the city’s downtown.