In the wake of the Israeli occupation forces’ illegal eviction of the Siyam family from its home in occupied Jerusalem’s Silwan neighborhood following a court ruling in favor of the extreme settler organization “Elad”, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi accused Israel’s judiciary of complicity in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Jerusalem.
“The forced eviction of the Siyam family from their home this Wednesday in Silwan is an unconscionable crime. It is part of a comprehensive and systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing in occupied Jerusalem that includes the illegal confiscation and demolition of homes, terrorizing Jerusalemites, including the ongoing campaign of harassment against residents of Esawiyeh, as well as policies of economic strangulation,” said Ashrawi in a statement.
“Adding insult to injury, Israel is now ordering the demolition of homes built with permits in Sur Baher in order to clear the land next to the Wall it is illegally building in the neighborhood. All these criminal acts aim to engineer a new demographic and ethnic reality that serves the Israeli colonial project,” she charged.
The PLO official said that “the undeniable complicity of Israel’s judicial system in the illegal confiscation and demolition of Palestinian homes is equally reprehensible. Israel’s judicial system is part of the system of oppression and dispossession, designed to provide the façade of legal cover for crimes and violations against the Palestinian people”
Ashrawi concluded: “These escalating egregious and racist practices are flagrant violations of international law, including international humanitarian law. They persist due to the lack of accountability Israel has enjoyed thus far due to international inaction. In this regard, we call on international actors, especially responsible United Nations Security Council members, to uphold their responsibilities under the UN Charter and protect the relevance and integrity of the system they have been trusted to lead. For its part, the Palestinian leadership will continue to pursue all available legal and diplomatic courses of action to protect the rights and lives of the Palestinian people as well as ensure that Israel is held accountable for its crimes.”
