Kuwait condemns new settlements, Palestinian evictions in Jerusalem

By Diana Chalhoub

ISTANBUL (AA) - Kuwait denounced on Friday the construction of settlements by Israeli authorities and forced displacement of Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem.

"Kuwait strongly condemns and denounces Israel's continued construction of settlements, and its displacement and evacuation operations in East Jerusalem, particularly in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood,” Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Palestinians in Jerusalem have protested in solidarity with the residents of Sheikh Jarrah in recent days that have led to clashes with Israeli police.

Protests came as the Israeli Central Court in East Jerusalem approved a decision to evict seven Palestinian families from their homes in favor of Israeli settlers at the beginning of 2021.

Kuwait decried the settlements as violating principles of international law, undermining peace efforts and threatening stability in the region.

The statement urged the international community to “redouble its efforts to compel Israel to stop such unilateral decisions, and to create the atmosphere for the resumption of peace talks based on international legitimacy decisions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution.”

Since 1956, a total of 37 Palestinian families have been living in 27 homes in the neighborhood. However, illegal Jewish settlers have been trying to push them out on the basis of a law approved by the Israeli parliament in 1970.

In recent years, Palestinians have evacuated three homes in the neighborhood after Israeli court decisions.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar