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Protest in Jerusalem against threatened Israeli evictions for Palestinian families
Photo: Ilia Yefimovich / dpa
In view of the repeated violent clashes in Jerusalem, the Israeli judiciary has postponed an important hearing.
It is about the threat of evictions from Israel for Palestinian families in the eastern part of the city.
"In view of the circumstances and at the request of the Attorney General, tomorrow's hearing will be canceled," said the Israeli Justice Ministry on Sunday.
The appointment before the Supreme Court of Israel should be made up for within a month.
At the weekend there were massive protests, among other things because of the possible evictions in favor of Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem.
Hundreds of people were injured in clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police.
Dispute over ownership claims
Around 30 Palestinians can expect to be evicted from their homes by the Israeli authorities in the Sheikh Jarrah district near the Old City.
Sheikh Jarrah is located in the eastern part of Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the Six Day War in 1967 and annexed in 1980.
The annexation is not recognized internationally.
The status of Jerusalem is one of the central issues in the Middle East conflict.
Israel claims Jerusalem as the "eternal and indivisible capital" for itself.
For their part, the Palestinians are sticking to their claim to East Jerusalem as their capital.
Earlier this year, Jerusalem's district court ruled that the homes of four Palestinian families rightfully belong to Jewish families.
Under Israeli law, Jewish Israelis can claim ownership of houses in East Jerusalem in court if their ancestors owned land there prior to the Arab-Israeli War (1948-49).
There is no such law for Palestinians who also lost their property as a result of the war.
Israel's Supreme Court had given both sides until Thursday to find a compromise.
After this failed, the court was originally supposed to decide on Monday whether the Palestinian families could appeal the judgment.
According to the spokesman for the UN Legal Office, Rupert Colville, the threatened evictions may be a "war crime."
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they are resisting pressure not to build new houses in Jerusalem.
This should happen after the evictions.
pbe / AFP / dpa