File Photo: Israeli border police confront residents of a home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem, where several Palestinian families face imminent eviction taken on May 12, 2021. AP
Israel's attorney general on Monday declined to intervene in the cases of several of the families, making it more likely the evictions will be carried out _ possibly in the coming weeks.
At least 150 Palestinian households, in Sheikh Jarrah and the neighborhood of Silwan, both near the Old City, are at risk of eventual eviction.
A request by the attorney general at the height of the tensions last month led to the postponement of a Supreme Court hearing on the most imminent evictions, of four extended families comprising six households in Sheikh Jarrah.
In a statement issued Monday, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said ``there is no place'' for him to intervene in the proceedings. That sends the matter back to the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule against the families.
Ir Amim, an Israeli human rights group that closely follows the various court cases, says the four families could be evicted within the coming month, and that the attorney general's decision could affect the cases of more than 80 other families threatened with eviction.
``It paves the way for the evictions to be carried out,'' said Amy Cohen, a spokeswoman for Ir Amim. But she added that Israeli authorities still have various options for postponing or halting the evictions. ``There still is room for political intervention,'' she said.
The threatened evictions have been widely criticized internationally, including by the United States, Israel's closest ally.
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