Maan: Israeli authorities order evacuation of house eviction protesters

To view original article, published by Maan News Agency on the 16th November, click here

Israeli authorities on Sunday afternoon ordered evacuation of a protest tent near the house of a Palestinian Jerusalemite family that was evicted from their home.

Tension is building in the area as Israeli police and military forces massed near the tent.

International activists have camped out near the Al-Kurd family house in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Eight of the international demonstrators were arrested one week ago when Israeli police first forced the family out of their home.

Official and grassroots delegations have been visiting the house in order to show solidarity with the family, drawing concern from Israeli authorities that the international visitors will draw more attention to the eviction.

Um Kamil Al-Kurd, one of the residents who was thrown out of the house last Sunday, has refused to obey the eviction order, and is also staying in the tent.

The house has become emblematic of the plight of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem. In July, the United States government lodged an official complaint about the eviction order. The US questioned the legality of terms on which an Israeli Jewish settler group claims to have purchased the land.