Palestinians of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood offered to stay in homes as 'tenants' for 15 years

By Zain Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - An Israeli court on Monday evening offered Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem to remain in their homes as "tenants" for 15 years.

The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said the Supreme Court presented "a compromise solution" regarding the evacuation of Arab families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

According to the proposal submitted to the Palestinian families and a settlement association, the families will be recognized as "protected tenants" for a period of 15 years or until another arrangement is reached.

During this period, those residing in their homes who are threatened with confiscation will pay rent to the Nahalat Shimon settler organization, which claims ownership of the land on which the homes were built.

It was not immediately possible to contact Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah for their response to the court's proposal.

A total of 27 Palestinian families have resided in their homes under the threat of confiscation and expulsion since 1956, according to an agreement with the Jordanian government, which ruled the West Bank including East Jerusalem before its occupation in 1967, and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Israeli settler groups say that the homes were built on land that was owned by Jews before 1948, a claim rejected by Palestinians.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat