The Fight for Palestine’s Sheikh Jarrah Isn’t Over
The Israeli Supreme Court’s verdict on the Sheikh Jarrah evictions, which set off huge protests in Palestine earlier this year, was deferred this week. But the deal offered to Palestinians shows that Israel is still intent on dispossessing them.
Demonstrations in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood demand an end to Israeli settlement activity and displacement on July 30, 2021. (AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)
In May this year, the Israeli Supreme Court threatened to uphold the eviction of six families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem in favor of Israeli settlers.
This injustice had a galvanizing effect among supporters of the families, giving rise to mounting protests in the local region, in pockets of the occupied Palestinian territories, and, later, around the world. The court postponed the hearing as a result.
When the anger intensified and the demonstrations increased, the Israeli security forces reacted with the language of aggression in which they have become proficient. Israeli forces stormed Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque — a sacred site in Islam — during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, firing tear gas and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinians.
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