The United Nations Human Rights Commission announced that the actions taken by Israel against the residents of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem could amount to "war crimes." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson, Robert Coleville, stated via video call from Geneva, "East Jerusalem remains part of the occupied Palestinian territories and international humanitarian law applies to it," according to the Palestinian news agency (Wafa).
During a press conference, the spokesperson emphasized the "necessity for the occupying authority to respect private properties in the occupied territories, particularly since they are protected from confiscation." Coleville noted that this means Israel cannot "impose a set of laws of its own in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, to expel Palestinians from their homes."
He asserted that forced evictions may violate the right to adequate housing, privacy, and other human rights of those being displaced. He considered forced evictions a major factor that could lead to forced displacement, which is prohibited by the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitutes a serious violation of the convention. Coleville called on Israel to "immediately cease all eviction operations and review the laws used by the occupying authorities to ensure they comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law."
Israeli courts have issued eviction orders for homes in Sheikh Jarrah built by Palestinians in 1956, based on claims from Israeli settlement organizations that the homes were built on land formerly owned by Jews before 1948.
