“The minute we pay rent for our homes, it means we have given up ownership,” said one woman who could be expelled to make way for Jewish settlers.

By Brett Wilkins, staff writer for Common Dreams.  Published 8-3-2021

Photo: Heather Sharona/Twitter

Palestinian families facing ethnic cleansing from their Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday rejected a so-called “compromise” offer from Israel’s Supreme Court, which would allow them to remain in their homes if they recognize as rightful owners the Israeli settler group trying to steal the properties.

Under the Israeli high court proposal, four Palestinian families and dozens of others threatened with forced expulsion from the Sheikh Jarrah area would remain in the neighborhood as “protected tenants” who could not be evicted, as long as they acknowledged that Nahalat Shimon Company—a right-wing settler organization dating back to the early years of Zionist colonization of Palestine—as the lawful owner, and paid it NIS 1,500 ($465) in annual rent. Continue reading →