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The Israeli Attorney General has notified the Supreme Court that he will not intervene in the high-profile Sheikh Jarrah case in which four Palestinian families in occupied East Jerusalem face imminent forced deportation in support of Israeli settlement Point organization.
In a statement issued on Monday, Avichai Mendelblit stated that there was “no place” for him to intervene in the proceedings.
Last month, the Supreme Court asked the Attorney General to submit his legal opinion on the case by June 8.
In a letter to the court, Mendelbli wrote that given the numerous legal proceedings conducted against the Sheikh Jala community over the years, he concluded that he did not need to appear in court.
The decision of the Attorney General allows the Supreme Court to decide freely whether to hear four Palestinian families’ appeals against two lower courts’ judgments that they must leave their homes.
These four families are part of more than 500 Palestinians (including 28 families) who are facing forced evictions from the neighborhood.
Sami Irsheid is a lawyer who is part of the defense team of Sheikh Jarrah residents threatened by forced eviction. He told Al Jazeera that Mendelblit’s decision does not mean that the case no longer has political significance.
“The Attorney General’s response was brief. He said that he felt there was no need to intervene because it was a legal issue,” Irsheid said. “But we will not shrink from arguing this case from the perspective of international law.”
according to Israel dailyA source close to Mendelblit said that Israeli political leaders support his decision not to argue in court on behalf of the country.
Haaretz also reported that officials in Mendelbulit’s office stated that the Sheikh Jala family’s case was weak and that “his legal advice cannot prevent them from being deported.”
Expulsion of the Sheikh Jala family
A statement by the Sheikh Jala family rejected Mendelbite’s explanation of his non-intervention, saying that their case was not a legal issue but a forced eviction case.
“We confirm that the Israeli occupation government-from the prime minister to the entire scope of all Israeli institutions and activities-is seeking to deport the residents of the Sheikh Jala community, thereby perpetuating the crime of Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem,” the statement posted on social media. The media said.
“In turn, we confirm that this crime ignores all international conventions and human rights, and we also confirm that these attempts will not weaken our will to persevere on our land.”
The Attorney General declined to comment on Sheikh Jala. This is another invalid attempt to treat our expulsion as a “property dispute.”
This is not the case: displacement is a war crime, and according to international law, Israeli occupation has no legal jurisdiction over us. #SaveSheikhJarrah
— Mohamed El Kurd (@m7mdkurd) June 7, 2021
Ilscheid said the ball is now in the corner of the court.
He told Al Jazeera: “It is up to the Supreme Court to decide whether to listen to the Attorney General’s opinion or to be satisfied with the arguments of the case.”
It is expected that the court’s ruling will broadly support the Israeli settler organization, but Irsheed said that he does not agree that Mendelblit’s decision will affect the speed of the court’s ruling.
“In the final analysis, his decision is a continuation of the same political approach adopted by the Israeli state over the past 20 years, and they are trying to attribute Sheikh Jala’s cause to a legal dispute between the two parties,” he said. Say.
(Al Jazeera)According to Al Jazeera reporter Mohammed Watad, if the Sheikh Jarrah case is submitted to the International Criminal Court, Mendelblit’s position is also seen as a way to exempt Israel from any judicial responsibility.
“This also constitutes the Israeli government’s lifeline from any international pressure, describing the case as a conflict between a group of settlers and a group of Palestinians, and the court’s decision was made after the judicial track was exhausted in accordance with Israel’s requirements. — —It’s called a democratic process,” he said.
‘avoid responsibility’
Israeli human rights organizations condemned the decision of the attorney general, and now peace organizations describe it as “a cynical attempt to evade responsibility.”
The organization called on Israel to “show its position to the public and the courts because by adopting a set of laws that discriminate against Israelis and Palestinians, families were thrown on the street.”
Another Israeli human rights organization, Ir Amim, stated that the attorney general’s decision “paved the way for deportation” and could affect more than 80 other cases of families facing the threat of forced displacement.
“There is still room for political intervention,” spokesman Amy Cohen said.
Sheikh Jarrah’s career has attracted international attention and caused anger around the world. Since 1956, these 28 Palestinian families have been living in nearby houses built according to the UNHCR and Jordan’s rule of East Jerusalem before 1967.
Settlers’ organizations filed a lawsuit in 1972, alleging that Sheikh Jarrah’s land belonged to them because Israeli law allowed Jews to reclaim former Jewish property lost during the creation of Israel in 1948—the Palestinians denied this right .
After the Israeli army used tear gas, sound bombs and rubber bullets to violently disperse daily protests and sit-ins, the Israeli court’s decision on the imminent deportation of four Palestinian families was postponed in May.
During Ramadan, the Israeli army repeatedly attacked the Al-Aqsa Mosque (the third holiest site for Muslims), injuring hundreds of Palestinians and further escalating the situation.
The attack prompted armed groups in the Gaza Strip to fire rockets, and Israel responded to an 11-day devastating offensive that killed at least 260 Palestinians, 66 of whom were children. On the Israeli side, 12 people, including two children, were also killed.
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