A right-wing Israeli settlement group has confiscated money raised to help a Palestinian family facing eviction from their home in Jerusalem.
The Elad Association is a notorious right-wing group which works to encourage Jewish settlement in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem, located just outside the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Funds donated to Palestinian family may go to settlers trying to evict it https://t.co/Ttb3sWITw2
— Sam's Taxi & limo (@samthedurangom) July 9, 2019
It also runs the City of David archaeological site in Silwan, regularly working to evict Palestinian families from the neighborhood to further these ends.
One of these families targeted by Elad is the Siyam family, who have been battling against the group for 25 years to remain in their family home.
‘The tunnels allow visitors to walk through the village of Silwan without once seeing any Palestinians or coming to terms with the political implications of Elad’s archaeological enterprise on Jerusalem.’ https://t.co/ZZjWW8a3EW
— +972 Magazine (@972mag) July 5, 2019
Now Elad is confiscating money raised to help the Siyam family fight their evacuation order. According to a report by Haaretz yesterday:
“Elad has obtained a lien on tens of thousands of shekels that 241 activists donated for the Siyam family, on the grounds that the family owes it money.”
A lien gives an organization or group the right to keep possession of a property until a debt owed by the owner of said property is paid.
Israel violently arrests two Palestinian children from Silwan — 6 year old Mohammed Shweiki and 11 year old Mahmoud Shweiki #StopIsrael https://t.co/eXhNeTVq2Y
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) July 9, 2019
However, in addition, the lien obtained by Elad “requires an Israeli crowdfunding site, IsraelGives, to freeze the bank account where the money raised to help the Siyam family is deposited”.
Although the fundraising site IsraelGives opposed the lien in court, it was eventually forced to accept the legal ruling. The thousands of dollars intended for the Siyam family are therefore understood to be in the hands of Elad.
Palestinians from Silwan have been targeted by a number of schemes to forcibly evacuate them from their homes.
(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)
