Jordan condemns Israel's aggression in East Jerusalem

By Laith Al-Jnaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Jordan on Monday decried the Israeli aggression in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, calling it a breach of international laws.

“The eviction and deportation orders against the residents of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem are a violation of international and humanitarian laws,” Haitham Abu Al-Foul, spokesperson for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said in a statement.

Abu Al-Foul stressed that Israel as an occupying power is obligated to protect and defend the Palestinians' rights in their homes, adding Israel's practices deepen the occupation and undermine peace.

On Sunday, at least 31 Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood sustained injuries and 12 others were detained when the Israeli forces attacked a rally by the Palestinians who were protesting Israeli eviction orders against Palestinian families.

Last year, tensions ran high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood after an Israeli court ordered the eviction of several Palestinian families in favor of Israeli settlers.

In 1956, 28 families settled in Sheikh Jarrah under an agreement between the Jordanian government, which ruled the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, before the Israeli occupation in 1967, and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Israeli settlement associations, however, claim that the homes were built on land that was owned by Jews before 1948, a claim vehemently rejected by Palestinians.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara