Eviction of Palestinians from Jerusalem homes

Nasser Ghawi in front of what was his family home in East Jerusalem until he was evicted at gunpoint

The police came for them at dawn on a Sunday, heavily armed, wearing helmets and riot shields as they broke down the metal doors of the houses and dragged the two Palestinian families out onto the streets.

It was over in minutes, the Hanoun and the Ghawi families evicted from what had been their homes for the past five decades, and thrown onto the pavement before the sun had fully risen.

Within hours young, religious Israeli settlers had been moved in, guarded by dozens of armed police and their own private armed security guards.

For full article, visit http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/24/west-bank-east-jerusalem-evictions

The Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition by two Palestinian families challenging their eviction from their houses in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Sunday.

The Hanoun and Al-Ghawi families had appealed a decision by the Israeli Central Court which also denied their right to remain in their homes. The families’ lawyer, Husni Abu Hussein presented Ottoman-era documents proving the family’s ownership of the land.

For full article, visit http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36902