Israel freezes Palestinian evictions in east Jerusalem

Israel's High Court of Justice on Tuesday froze the eviction of four Palestinian families from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. 

Justice Isaac Amit, in a ruling by a three-judge panel, wrote the families would be recognized as protected tenants, and would pay a Jewish settler group, Nahalat Shimon, a symbolic annual rent of about $740 "until a determination of... land rights."

The court ruled that the Palestinian families could not be evicted unless the Justice Ministry examined their claims to the homes, as the Justice Ministry is responsible for sorting out land registration. 

Sami Irsheid, an attorney for the Palestinians, stated the ruling was “preserving the presence of the Palestinians in their homes," The Times of Israel reported. 

The Palestinian families were seeking a right to appeal a lower court decision that Jewish settlers owned the land, and in Tuesday's ruling, two of the three judges granted that right to appeal.

"The decision to allow them to appeal is just a preliminary decision," said advocacy coordinator Gaal Yanovski at Ir Amim, a Jerusalem group opposed to settlements.

"Two of the three judges decided they are freezing the eviction until there will be a land settlement of title." 

More than 200,000 settlers now live in east Jerusalem, alongside about 300,000 Palestinians. The Jewish settlements there are considered illegal under international law.