Supreme Court Offers Compromise in Sheikh Jarrah Case
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by i24 News and Algemeiner Staff
The Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – Israel’s Supreme Court delayed a decision Monday in the case of Palestinian families facing expulsion by right-wing Israeli organizations in eastern Jerusalem.
Palestinians said the offer was made that they remain in their properties in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood as “protected tenants” who would recognize Israeli ownership of the homes and pay a symbolic annual rent.
Both sides in the legal dispute, the Nahalat Shimon association, and the four Palestinian resident families, appeared unwilling to accept the court’s suggestions of a compromise, The Times of Israel reported.
Justice Isaac Amit called for further documentation and said, “we will publish a decision later,” without setting a date.
Monday’s hearing was part of a years-long legal battle waged by Israeli NGOs trying to reclaim property owned by Jews in eastern Jerusalem. The Palestinian residents in the homes say Jordan granted them the property after they were expelled from areas that became part of the State of Israel.
The case has become an international cause, with dozens of people demonstrating outside the court on Monday.
Critics of moves to expel the Palestinians argue that while the homes in Sheikh Jarrah belonged to Jews prior to 1948, the organizations campaigning to turn over the properties do not represent the original owners.
Clashes in May over possible Sheikh Jarrah evictions spread to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount compound, followed by the 11-day war between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip when the Hamas terrorist group launched rockets at Jerusalem.
