Israeli Supreme Court delays ruling on Sheikh Jarrah expulsions

By Abdelraouf Arna'out

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli Supreme Court on Monday delayed a final verdict on the appeal by four Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, occupied East Jerusalem, who are facing imminent expulsion to make way for Jewish settlers.

"The court heard all sides of the case but didn't reach a verdict," said, Sami Arshid, a lawyer for the Palestinian families, after the court session. No date for the decision has been given, he added.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said the court had proposed a compromise -- protected tenancy status for the families, allowing them to stay in their homes on rent. A lower court had approved the eviction of the four families in January.

The decision had sparked 11-day-long clashes between Palestinians and Israeli occupying forces in May in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. Many countries have urged Israel to reconsider its eviction plans.

The lawsuit stems from the events of 1948 when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcefully evicted from their homes and lands, a tragedy Palestinians call the "Nakba," or "Catastrophe."

In 1956, 28 families settled in Sheikh Jarrah. Israeli settlers and extremist Jewish associations, however, said the houses were built on the land they owned before Israel was established in 1948, a claim denied by Palestinians.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara