Australian groups urge govt to speak out against East Jerusalem evictions

Call by Jewish advocacy groups comes as Israeli Supreme Court decides whether to approve the threatened eviction Palestinians from Sheik Jarrah neighbourhood

AN ALLIANCE OF AUSTRALIAN Jewish community groups has called on the Australian government to speak out against any further evictions of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem.

The group released a statement, ahead of an upcoming decision by the Supreme Court of Israel whether to approve the eviction of more than 70 Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood from homes, to be replaced by Jewish settlers.

The Palestinians have appealed to Israel’s Supreme Court and asked the Attorney-General to intervene. The Court has stayed the eviction orders and given the Attorney until 8 June to consider his position.

“We support the rights of Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem to live in their homes with dignity and condemn the violence that has been used against those protesting the evictions,” the statement says.

“As Australian Jews who wish Israel well, we hope that Israel’s Attorney-General will not only intervene to oppose these particular evictions but also urge government political action to prevent them or any more like them.

“We call on our Australian government, which has long-standing friendly relations with Israel, to declare Australia’s opposition to any further discriminatory and ideologically-motivated evictions in East Jerusalem,” the statement says.

The signatories include the Australian Jewish Democratic Society, Jewish Voices for Peace and Justice (NSW), Jews for Refugees (Sydney), Meretz Australia and Music for Refugees.

Robin Margo, a spokesperson for the signatories, said: “The threatened eviction of more Palestinian families in East Jerusalem was a major catalyst of the recent further conflict between Israel and Hamas and we hope that Israel’s Attorney-General will intervene when the matter is back before the Court early in June and find a political solution that unjust and discriminatory laws can’t deliver.