Tensions in East Jerusalem keep escalating, as the Supreme Court should rule in the coming days on the petition by Palestinian families against their eviction from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Four Palestinian families had been served last October with eviction orders, after the court ruled in favor of Jewish settler groups claiming ownership of the premises. The Jewish groups say the lands on which Sheikh Jarrah was constructed belonged to Jews before 1948. Many other Palestinian families could also be evicted in the near future.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit notified this morning the Supreme Court that he will not intervene in the affair. A statement by his office said it will not step in as a civil side in the matter. Last month, the Supreme Court accepted a request by Mandelblit to postpone a session on the petition. At the time, Mandelblit explained he was considering joining the process and attending the debate. Mandelblit’s request was related to the security escalation over the imminent eviction, with violent demonstrations taking place in Jerusalem and elsewhere in the country.
