17 Feb 2022; MEMO: The UN has called on Israel to put an end to its policy of demolishing Palestinian homes and evicting their residents in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Anadolu has reported. The call was made by Stéphane Dujarric, the Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, during a press conference in New York.
Since Sunday, illegal Israeli settlers and extreme right-wing MK Itamar Ben-Gvir have increased their attacks on Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied Jerusalem, protected by Israeli security forces. Such attacks are part of the efforts to expel Palestinian families from their homes.
"We are following up closely the situation in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah and the possibility of evicting Palestinians from their homes," explained Dujarric. "It is very important to de-escalate the tension and maintain self-control and tranquillity. We continuously ask the Israeli authorities to put an end to the policy of demolishing Palestinian homes and stop evicting Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and anywhere else in the West Bank."
When asked to comment on Israel's killing of 26-year-old Palestinian Nihad Al-Barghouti on Tuesday, Dujarric replied, "We are worried about the escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem."
