Is There Ethnic Cleansing in Sheikh Jarrah?

The dispute over the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah is a long-standing legal issue between the Jewish landowners and the Palestinian tenants, who have not paid rent in decades.

If the tenants were paying rent, they would be classified as “protected” tenants and the landlords would be legally barred from making drastic changes that would see the residents evicted.

In May 2021, the parties involved resumed a lengthy court battle, and political opportunists obscured historical evidence to turn the situation into a racial issue.
On multiple occasions, the courts have asked the tenants and landowners to negotiate and come to an agreement.

1982

After Israeli courts decided in favor of the Jewish claimants, they informed the Palestinian tenants that they would have to pay rent to live in the apartments built on the land.

The Jewish owners sued the tenants for non-payment of rent, at which point the lawyer representing the Palestinian tenants did not dispute Jewish ownership.

A court-supported agreement was reached between the landowners and the tenants. The families would pay rent and have "protected tenants" status. This meant they could not be evicted if they lived up to the conditions, like paying rent, and under certain circumstances, their families could inherit their rights to the apartment.

But shortly after, most, though not all, renounced the agreement and refused to pay rent.

This was possibly due to pressure from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) because it would go against the Palestinian narrative that the Israeli government was illegally and immorally evicting Palestinians from their homes.

TODAY

The situation at Sheikh Jarrah is a rent dispute between the Palestinian tenants and the Jewish landowners. The Israeli court is asking the two parties to negotiate a compromise.

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