Voortgang judaïsering Oost-Jeruzalem

De Qarsh familie woont sinds 1939 in hun gehuurde huis in de wijk Al-Sa'adiya van het bezette Oost-Jeruzalem. Zij werden op straat gezet na een juridische strijd met kolonisten die claimen het huis ooit gekocht te hebben van de Palestijnse verhuurder die in de jaren '60 naar de VS emigreerde. Dezelfde groep kolonisten verloren eerder een rechtzaak over de claim op een ander Palestijns huis.

East Jerusalem: Settlers Take Over Another House

Palestine Monitor | 14 August 2010

All but one of the nine Qresh families living in the large building in the Sa’adiye neighborhood near Herod’s gate had been attending a wedding when over 30 young settlers arrived to seize the house. At the time of arrival, the settler group was accompanied by police who prevented the families from re-entering their home. Mickey Rosenfield, the Israeli National Police spokesman, told Ma’an News that the settlers had presented “documents claiming that they owned the property”.

The decision being made in court does not relate to Ownership rights but to tenants rights. The building has been home to 49 members of the Qresh Family since 1936 and was in the ownership of Kamal Handal, an American Palestinian who now resides in the United States. According to the settlers however, the house was sold to Ateret Kohanim, the Settler organization behind the takeover, in 1987.

According to Hagit Efran of Settlement Watch the residents claim that they have been consistently paying rent to the settlers since the building was bought and that they have protected tenants’ rights, preventing their unwarranted eviction. They have been pursuing their case before the Israeli courts over the years: in both 2000 and 2008 they successfully challenged eviction orders.

"If they bought the house, that’s fine. Congratulations. But I have rights here. They can make me pay them rent but they cannot force me out," AFP has quoted resident Majid Qarsh as saying.




Settlers clash with Jerusalemite family, settler runs over youth

Palestinian Information Center | October 4, 2010

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli settlers attacked Al-Qarsh family in Al-Sa'diya neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday night and tried to remove their furniture from their house. The settlers claim they own the house which they or their ancestors have never lived in before.

The Israeli police intervened to protect the settlers and prevented human rights activists and journalists from B'Tselem organization from entering the house to document the settlers' violations against the family.

A Judaization campaign is taking place throughout the neighborhoods and towns of Jerusalem in which Palestinian citizens are rendered homeless after their homes are demolished or seized by Israeli settlers.

In another incident, an Israeli settler deliberately ran over a Palestinian young man called Samir Abu Marih on Sunday evening in Beit Ummar, north of Al-Khalil city. The young man sustained injuries all over his body and was taken to hospital, eyewitnesses said.

Een Israëlische soldaat zorgt dat het verwijderen van de inboedel van de Palestijnse familie Qarsh door joodse kolonisten ordelijk verloopt, 10 oktober 2010.