Israel pushes for eviction of Palestinian residents to build Jewish settlements
Protests intensify in response... Over 300 injured
Supreme Court abruptly delays trial deciding on eviction at authorities' request
On the 9th (local time), during a protest by Palestinian residents in Jerusalem, Israel, police fired flashbang grenades at the demonstrators. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] As protests by Palestinian residents in the East Jerusalem area intensified, resulting in over 300 injuries, the Supreme Court abruptly postponed the eviction trial concerning the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, which had been the catalyst for the protests.
According to major foreign media on the 9th (local time), the Israeli Supreme Court postponed the trial that was to decide on the eviction of residents in the Sheikh Jarrah area, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem inhabited by Palestinian residents, at the request of the authorities.
The Sheikh Jarrah area is one of the regions occupied by Israel during the 1967 war with Palestine and currently has a significantly larger Palestinian population than Israeli residents.
Recently, the Israeli government has threatened to evict Palestinian residents from this area. Israeli authorities are promoting the construction of Jewish settlements in the area and are conducting bids for housing construction.
The Jewish residents settled in this area have long engaged in legal disputes with Palestinian residents over property acquisition prior to housing construction. It is known that the Jewish residents are demanding the eviction of Palestinian residents in court.
In previous trials, the court ruled in favor of the Israeli side, declaring the eviction of Palestinian residents from the area to be lawful.
This sparked strong opposition from Palestinian residents, who held daily protests in the Sheikh Jarrah area. Meanwhile, during the ongoing Ramadan (Islamic fasting month), Palestinian residents gathered for collective worship, but Israeli authorities closed the Damascus Gate Plaza, the worship site, which intensified the protests and led to violent incidents.
During the protests, some demonstrators committed arson and threw stones at the police, who responded with flashbang grenades and water cannons to suppress the unrest. According to major foreign media, clashes between protesters and police have resulted in over 300 injuries so far.
A former Israeli Ministry of Defense official told The Guardian, "The current situation is like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment."
International pressure criticizing Israel's forced eviction of Palestinian residents is also mounting. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) condemned the issue on the 7th, calling it "acts akin to war crimes," and on the 8th, the U.S. State Department issued a statement expressing "deep concern" and urging "Israeli authorities to respect the residents."
With the Supreme Court's decision to postpone the trial, the authorities have been able to take a breather amid the conflict between the Israeli government and Palestinian residents. Nevertheless, the government maintains its stance to proceed with the construction of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on the day, "Jerusalem is our capital, and we have the right to build whatever we want," adding, "We will not yield to external pressure that obstructs our efforts to develop Jerusalem."
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