Representatives from Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland,
France, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom call on
Israeli authorities to reverse the decisions on the intended
evictions.
This month, six Palestinian families in Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah and
the Old City of Jerusalem are facing imminent forced eviction
and/or decisive hearings on eviction cases initiated by Israeli
settler groups, placing more than 80 individuals under imminent
threat of forced displacement.
The abovementioned representatives reiterate their strong
opposition to Israel’s settlement policy, which is illegal under
international law, and actions taken in this context, including
evictions, and call on Israeli authorities to reverse the
decisions on the intended evictions.
Domestic laws do not exempt Israel, as the occupying power, from
meeting its obligations to administer the occupied territory in a
manner that provides for and protects the local population.
The continuation of Israel’s illegal settlement policy fuels
tensions. In the context of escalating violence in the West Bank,
it is particularly worrying that Israeli authorities plan to
continue demolitions in East Jerusalem during the month of
Ramadan.
Israel’s illegal settlement policy undermines the viability of
the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace in
the region and seriously jeopardises the possibility of Jerusalem
serving as the future capital of both states.
