Israel Court Freezes Eviction Order of Salem Family in Sheikh Jarrah

Fatima Salem (C) looks on as Sven Kuehn von Burgsdorff, head of the European Union's mission to the West Bank and Gaza Strip (R), speaks to the media during his visit to her home in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, December 20, 2021 AHMAD GHARABLI AFP/File
Fatima Salem (C) looks on as Sven Kuehn von Burgsdorff, head of the European Union's mission to the West Bank and Gaza Strip (R), speaks to the media during his visit to her home in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, December 20, 2021 AHMAD GHARABLI AFP/File
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Israel Court Freezes Eviction Order of Salem Family in Sheikh Jarrah

Fatima Salem (C) looks on as Sven Kuehn von Burgsdorff, head of the European Union's mission to the West Bank and Gaza Strip (R), speaks to the media during his visit to her home in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, December 20, 2021 AHMAD GHARABLI AFP/File
Fatima Salem (C) looks on as Sven Kuehn von Burgsdorff, head of the European Union's mission to the West Bank and Gaza Strip (R), speaks to the media during his visit to her home in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, December 20, 2021 AHMAD GHARABLI AFP/File

An Israeli court on Tuesday froze the planned eviction of a Palestinian family in the flashpoint east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, pending an appeal.

The Salem family had been ordered to surrender the property to Jewish settlers who have claimed ownership of the plot.

Lawyer Majd Ghanayem, who filed the appeal in the family's name, said the eviction procedures would be suspended temporarily.

He explained that the family was forced to deposit a financial guarantee of about $8,000 in the court's fund, which will be fined if the appeal fails.

The court's decision states that Salem's family will be allowed to keep the property for another few months.

Last month, Israel's Enforcement and Collection Authority ordered the Salem family to evict their home in the neighborhood.

In November, the Palestinian family received their eviction order with a deadline to vacate by March 1.

Tensions have been mounting this month in Sheikh Jarrah. Settlers, police officers, border guards, and special forces increased their attacks against the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, including Salem's family.

The attacks resulted in property damage, multiple injuries, and arrests of Israeli and foreign activists.

Israeli officials admitted that this escalation aimed to deter the Palestinians from escalating their activities in Jerusalem and the West Bank, especially ahead of the upcoming Ramadan month.

The family of Fatima Salem has lived in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood for about 73 years and owns a house and a land lot next to it.

For several years, the family has suffered from the settlers' continuous attacks.

The family has a statement from the Jordanian authorities, which have been responsible for Jerusalem since 1948. But, in 1988, a court issued an eviction order, which it later froze.

In 2012, settlers re-opened the case to implement the court's decision under the Statute of Civil Limitation, which allows for the execution of the sentence up to 25 years from the date of its issuance. Three years later, the eviction was renewed again, which affected Fatima's husband who suffered a stroke, stayed in the hospital for six months, and died.

In the 2015 eviction order, the occupation authorities gave the Salem's until December 29, 2021, to vacate the house, but the date was postponed indefinitely after the family's attorney submitted a lawsuit to Israel's Enforcement and Collection Authority.

In the past years, Israeli groups intensified their attempts to seize as many homes as possible in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and several settlers succeeded in taking Palestinians' properties.

Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood has gained international fame since the end of 2021, with global activists calling Israeli authorities to stop the displacement of Palestinian families from the homes they have resided in for decades.

US President Joe Biden's administration asked the Israeli government on February 16 to take steps to avoid further escalation in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, Israeli and US officials told Axios website.



Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 25 in Gaza and Huckabee Makes First Appearance as US Ambassador

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 25 in Gaza and Huckabee Makes First Appearance as US Ambassador

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 25 people on Friday including children, hospital workers said, as the new US ambassador to Israel made his first public appearance in Jerusalem.

The dead included 15 people killed in three strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Ten people were killed in Jabalia, including eight from the same home, according to the Indonesian Hospital, where the bodies were brought.

The strikes came a day after more than two dozen people died in Gaza as Israel continued attacks, pressuring Hamas to return the hostages and disarm.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee visited the Western Wall on Friday, the holiest Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem’s Old City. He inserted a prayer into the wall, which he said was handwritten by US President Donald Trump. "Those are his initials, D.T.,“ said Huckabee while showing the note to the media.

In his first act as ambassador, Huckabee said Trump told him to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Huckabee also said every effort was being made to bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas. A one-time presidential hopeful, Huckabee has acknowledged his past support for Israel’s right to annex the West Bank and incorporate its Palestinian population into Israel but said it would not be his “prerogative” to carry out that policy.

During his first term, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital over Palestinian objections and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv. Palestinians seek the eastern part of the city, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as their future capital.

Huckabee's arrival comes at a pivotal time in the 18-month war, as international mediators including the US are trying to get a broken ceasefire back on track.

Israel is demanding that Hamas release more hostages at the start of any new ceasefire and ultimately agree to disarm and leave the territory. Israel has said it plans to occupy large “security zones” inside Gaza.

Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating delegation, said Thursday the group had rejected Israel’s latest proposal along those lines. He reiterated Hamas’ stance that it will return hostages only in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting truce, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire agreement reached in January.

Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

Friday’s airstrikes came a day after aid groups raised alarm over Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where it has barred entry of all food and other goods for more than six weeks. Thousands of children have become malnourished, and most people are barely eating one meal a day as stocks dwindle, the United Nations said.

Israel’s Defense Minister says the blockade is one of the “central pressure tactics” against Hamas, which Israel accuses of siphoning off aid to maintain its rule. Aid workers deny there is significant diversion of aid, saying the UN closely monitors distribution. Rights groups have called it a “starvation tactic.”

The war began when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s offensive has since killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.  

The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities. The war has displaced around 90% of the population, with hundreds of thousands of people living in tent camps and bombed-out buildings.