History Of Israeli-Palestinian Land Dispute In Sheikh Jarrah, Who Has The Right To Settle?
JAKARTA - The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the dark history of the world. Israel's lusts captured the land into its estuary. Israel allowed all means to seize the land of Jerusalem -- which the Zionists -- considered no man's land.
The prolonged conflict has left millions of Palestinians deprived of freedom and other rights. That's the view the world can see, at least to this day, including in Israel's push to displace Palestinian settlers from the Sheikh Jarrah area.
It's common knowledge that the Israeli government cares more about territorial expansion, than peace. The yawn an-nakba (disaster day) on May 14, 1948 became the culmination and beginning of a lasting conflict in the modern era.
The proclamation of Israel's founding refers to the war waged against the Palestinian people. During the nakba event, in four of the five villages there was ethnic group cleansing -- mostly by force.
On that land, 95 percent of the new Jewish community lives. Meanwhile, nearly one million Palestinians were expelled from their homeland.
"However, Palestinian children grew up with the realization that their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents had experienced the same kind of terror and injustice they now face," Manal Tamimi et al said in ahed Tamimi: Palestinian Girls Who Fight Israel's Tyranny (2018).
"Military violence, forced evictions, imprisonment, land theft, torture, and murder are part of Palestinian family history, just as summer holidays, birthday parties, school exams, marriages, and the funeral of an elderly grandmother are part of the family history of most in the West," he added.
It's getting worse. The principle of the elimination of the Arab-Palestinian state is reflected in the proclamation that does not mention the territorial boundaries of the state of Israel.
In addition, the state of Israel adheres to the principle that the entire Palestinian territory is the home of all Jews. In a sense, Israel has regulations that allow the acquisition of land for the benefit of the Jewish people.
"In addition, Israel has regulations that allow the acquisition of land for the public benefit that is used since the Uk still holds a mandate in the region. This regulation continues to be used today, although there have been several amendments. In its implementation, many lands were taken over on the grounds that the public interest turned out that its use was not in accordance with the original plan," wrote Purwani Diyah Prabandari in his paper in Tempo Magazine entitled Don't Forget Nakba (2011).
The beginning of the Sheikh Jarrah conflictAfter the expulsion of Palestinians in 1948 by the Zionist Gang caused all Palestinians to flee to neighboring countries. However, not all are displaced.
Because, 29 families chose to settle in the Sheikh Jarrah area of East Jerussalem in 1956. According to Toponimi, the Sheikh Jarrah area is derived from the name of the personal physician of the famous Islamic leader, Salahuddin Ayyubi who settled in the region.
As a result, the 28 refugee families reached an agreement with the Jordanian Ministry of Development and the UN Refugee Agency (UNRW) to provide housing for them in Sheikh Jarrah. Afterwards, in the 1960s, the family agreed to a deal with the Jordanian government that would make them the landowners of the house.
"A contract was agreed between the Ministry of Construction and Reconstruction and a Palestinian family in 1956, with one of the main conditions stating that residents pay symbolic fees, provided ownership is transferred to residents after three years since the completion of construction," the Civil Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem (CCPRJ) said in a statement quoted by Anadolu Agency.
Visiting middleeasteye.net, they were Palestinian families and received an official land deed signed on behalf of Palestinian settlers after three years. Instead, they will relinquish refugee status.
Period of disputeHowever, the deal was void. The cause was because Israel seized and illegally occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. Which, in effect, resulted in Jordan losing control of Sheikh Jarrah's territory.
Since then, the situation has been no longer pleasant for Palestinian settlers in Sheikh Jarrah. The Israelis then officially claimed that they were entitled to the land on which the Palestinian settler houses were built.
Two Israeli settlement associations, the Sephardic Committee and the Knesset Committee of Israel even asked the court to expel four families from their homes on charges of land grabs.
Not to be outdone, palestinians appoint a lawyer to defend their rights to the land. Therefore in 1976, a ruling from an Israeli court supported them as landowners.
However, the court used a cunning means by conducting a new registration of land through the Israel Land Registry Department. The fruit, the land in Sheik Jarrah belonged to the Israeli settlement association.
Israeli law supports Jews who lost property in East Jerusalem in 1948 can reclaim property. Instead, the act did not allow Palestinians to reclaim their lost property in Israel in 1948.
Since then, Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah have been treated as tenants. They faced demands from the Israeli side to take over their homes.
Moreover, the legal power chosen by the Palestinians became the culprit of the stifling verdict. The ruling said if Palestinians fail to pay rent to Israeli settlement associations, they will be evicted.
Land disputes continued into the 2000s. The israeli settlement association that felt victorious asked the court to expedite the execution of evictions of Palestinians' homes.
In November 2008, the Al-Kurds were expelled from their homes, followed by the eviction of the Hanoun and Al-Ghawi families in August 2009. In total, so far 12 Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah have received eviction orders.
Recently, four Palestinian families petitioned the Supreme Court to oppose their expulsion decision. A Palestinian, Abdel Fattah Sqaffe, said they would not stop fighting for their land.
The violent approach of the Israeli authorities has even long been felt by Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah. Therefore, the Palestinian settlers in Sheikh Jarrah were not afraid.
"I think if this continues, if they keep trying to occupy us, it could spark war across Israel, both sides of the Green Line, and all regions," the 71-year-old man was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.
*Read more information about ISRAEL-PALESTINE or read other interesting writings from Detha Arya Tifada.
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