The eviction of forty members of the Sabbagh family (including 30 children) from their home in Sheikh Jarrah is closer than ever. On November 15th, 2018, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected the family’s appeal against a 2012 decision of the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court that paved the way for the eviction (that petition was rejected based on the statute of limitations – for further details/links see here). On January 10, 2019, that same court rejected the family’s request to put the eviction on hold to allow for another hearing, ordering the family to leave within two weeks (by January 23).
NOTE: As of the day of publication of this analysis, the police have not yet enforced that eviction.
On January 22, officials from the UN and international NGOs visited the Sabbagh family, issuing a statement that closed by saying:
“We call on the Israeli authorities to immediately halt plans to evict the Sabbagh family to prevent further displacement of these refugees, cease settlement construction, and abide by their obligations as an occupying power under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”