By Romana Rubeo 
US lawmaker, Rep. Mark Pocan, strongly condemned on Wednesday the Israeli decision to forcefully evict a Palestinian family in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
“Last night, in the cover of darkness & freezing cold, the homes of the Salhiyeh family in Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem, were destroyed by Israeli forces leaving 15 people homeless. This is unacceptable and must end,” Pocan tweeted, adding the popular hashtag #Savesheikhjarrah.
Last night, in the cover of darkness & freezing cold, the homes of the Salhiyeh family in Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem, were destroyed by Israeli forces leaving 15 people homeless. This is unacceptable and must end. #SaveSheikhJarrah
https://t.co/DrpsXceAaR— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) January 19, 2022
The US envoy to the United Nations also expressed concern over the forced expulsion in Sheikh Jarrah, media reports revealed on Wednesday.
“To make progress, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority must refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution,” Thomas-Greenfield said during a monthly Security Council meeting on Israel and Palestine, the US Mission to the UN website reported.
“That includes annexations of territory, settlement activity, demolitions, and evictions – like what we saw in Sheikh Jarrah,” Thomas-Greenfield added.
A UK minister urged Israel to stop forced expulsions of Palestinians and house demolitions in the occupied city of Jerusalem, in a tweet posted on Wednesday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. https://t.co/OZW5R3cNAG pic.twitter.com/ReFPGxlDZo
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 20, 2022
The UN Middle East special envoy Tor Wennsland strongly condemned the expulsion of the Palestinian family by Israeli occupation authorities.
“I call on Israeli authorities to end the displacement and eviction of Palestinians, in line with its obligations under international law, and to approve additional plans that would enable Palestinian communities to build legally and address their development needs,” the UN website reported Wennesland as saying.
Palestine’s Foreign minister Riyad Al-Maliki accused the international community of bias towards Israel, saying that its opposition to Israeli aggression against Palestinians was limited to statements with no effect on the ground.https://t.co/BI9u7m1oCA pic.twitter.com/VwImmM2Cqb
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 20, 2022
On Wednesday, after a two-day standoff, Israeli authorities forcefully evicted the Salhia family from their home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem and demolished it, leaving 15 people, most of them children, homeless.
Israeli municipality has been trying to evict the Palestinian families from their homes claiming it wants to use the land for public services, such as building a school. The families, however, accused the municipality of seeking to use the land to expand a nearby illegal Jewish settlement.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master’s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.
