Journalist Nidal Rafa' on the Situation in Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem.

Voices of the Middle East and North Africa

Since the beginning of Ramadan in mid-April, tensions have been rising in the old city of Jerusalem. Palestinians have been protesting an Israeli court decision to evict four Palestinian families from their homes in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah to make room for Israeli settlers. Four other families will also be facing eviction in August. The families in question have lived in their homes since 1956. At the time, East Jerusalem and the West Bank were under Jordanian control. The families which were made refugees as a result of Israel's establishment in 1948, were given the land by the Jordanian authorities and were able to build the homes with assistance from the United Nations Agency for Palestinian refugees. Since the 70's Israeli right-wing settler organizations have been trying to evict these families under the pretext that the land originally belonged to Jews before the establishment of Israel. According to a 2020 survey by the United Nations, at least 218 Palestinian households in East Jerusalem, including the families in Sheikh Jarrah, have eviction cases filed against them. If implemented 970 people, including 424 children will be displaced. Palestinians say the evictions are a continuation of Israel's policy of ethnic cleansing. The protests and sit-ins have been faced with settler violence backed by the Israeli police, which used rubber-coated bullets, tear gas canisters and even high pressure skunk water to disperse protestors. In recent days, Israel has escalated its repression in East Jerusalem, by radining the Al Aqsa mosque compound and even shelling of Palestinian worshippers. Further south, Israel has also launched its latest war on Gaza, hitting civilian buildings and killing over 40 people, including at least 14 children. To better understand the events that are unfolding in East Jerusalem, vomena’s mira nabulsi spoke with Nidal Rafa', a Palestinian journalist and TV producer based in Jerusalem. Nidal is a board member for several Palestinian civil society organization including ADALAH (The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel), Al SIWAR feminist organizaton in Haifa and The Arab Journalist Club and Khalil Sakakini cultural center in Ramallah. With Marwa Jbara Tibi, she is co-director of the documentary ''ABBAS 36'' Nidal Rafa', a Palestinian journalist and TV producer based in Jerusalem. Nidal is a board member for several Palestinian civil society organizations including ADALAH (The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel), Al SIWAR feminist organization in Haifa and The Arab Journalist Club and Khalil Sakakini cultural center in Ramallah. With Marwa Jbara Tibi, she is co-director of the documentary ''ABBAS 36'' together with