The European Union (EU) missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah have strongly condemned the eviction of the Shamasneh family from their home in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem on September 5 2017.
In a statement the EU missions slammed Israel for moving forward with its settlement construction and displacement plans in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood saying the EU called on the Israeli authorities repeatedly to reconsider such practices.
The Shamasneh family who has lived in their home for 53 years is one of at least 180 households in East Jerusalem mainly in Sheikh Jarrah Silwan the Old City and Beit Safafa facing the threat of eviction the mission highlighted.
They also recalled the EU’s “strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and actions taken in this context including evictions and demolitions” asserting that “its settlement activity in east Jerusalem seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states.”
“The settlement policy is illegal under international law and undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace” their statement concluded.
