EU diplomats visit Palestinian family facing eviction in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, Palestine – A group of European diplomats visited a Palestinian family Tuesday facing forcible eviction by Israeli authorities.

Led by the EU representative in Palestine, Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, the diplomats arrived at the Damascus Gate, one of the most famous entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem.

From there, they walked together to the Khalidiya neighborhood, a few hundred meters from the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The family received an Israeli eviction notice ordering them to vacate their home by June 11.

72-year-old Mustafa and his 68-year-old wife Nora Ghayth-Sabbagh have been living in the house for more than five decades.

Outside the house, Burgsdorff said the eviction was unacceptable.

He said the Palestinian mother, who suffers from illnesses, will lose her protected residency status.

Recently, Israel’s Supreme Court, the country’s highest judicial body, rejected the family’s appeal against the eviction.

Burgsdorff also said that forced eviction is politically and morally unacceptable.

This is the second solidarity visit by foreign diplomats to the Palestinian family in less than three months.

The family has called for urgent intervention and popular mobilization to stop their eviction.

According to them, the house has been leased to them by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since 1953.

 The Jewish settler association Ateret Cohanim claims that the family home is a Jewish foundation.

The Israeli courts have decided to terminate the family’s protected tenancy and evict them from the house.

Dozens of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem are threatened with eviction from their homes for the benefit of Israeli settlers.

Palestinians insist that East Jerusalem is the future capital of the Palestinian state.

Israel maintains that Jerusalem, including its eastern and western parts, is its capital.