IDMC NRC
Ghawi Family in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem (Displaced)
Ghawi Family in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem (Displaced)
On August 2nd 2009, the 88 year-old, Abdel-Fatteh Ghawi, his seven children and their families (37 people altogether) were evicted from their shared house in Sheikh Jarrah, a neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli settlers moved in the same day. The eviction was the culmination of long standing court debacle against Israeli settlers contesting ownership of the land. The Ghawi family had lived in Sheikh Jarrah for more than 50 years. They are Palestinian refugees from the Palestinian village of Sarafand. In 1956 the Palestinian families were settled in Karem al-Ja’ouni by UNRWA and the Jordanian Government, on the condition that they renounce their refugee status. Under the terms of the agreement they rented the houses built by the Jordanian government for a nominal fee. The agreement stated that after three years the families would receive the legal title to the property; however the Jordanian government never registered the families as owners.
In the 70s, Israeli settlers claimed that they have ownership of the houses on the basis of a historical and religious affiliation to the land. Since then, a long drawn out battle in front of the Israeli courts has taken place involving several families of Sheikh Jarah against Israeli settlers. In April 2002, following a Israeli Supreme Court ruling against their favour, over 500 police, closed off the whole area, and evicted the Hannoun and Gawi families from their houses. The police used force against the family, including children, and removed the furniture from the house. The family were charged the cost of the police operation. The Hannoun family were forced to find rented accommodation to live, whilst the Ghawi family lived in a tent for 6 months until the municipality arrived to demolish it.
In 2006, during continued litigation in the Israeli courts, the Ghawi and Hannoun families returned to their homes however several years later in August 2009, the Ghawi family was evicted yet again. The Ghawi family have set up a tent on the pavement opposite their old house. The tent has been demoilshed by the Israeli authorities on at least four separate occassions. The tent has been re-erected each time. In 2010, Ghawi family were ordered to pay 13,000 NIS for expenses incurred by the Israeli authories in their expulsion from their home. The Ghawi family is not the only family affected in Sheikh Jarrah. Since Ghawi’s evictions three other families have been evicted. In total, 27 families are concerned at risk of displacement in this neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.
Nasser Gawi who has 5 children, has now to pay an expensive rent in Al Issawiya. He said that his children feel depressed about the loss of their homes. One of the negative consequences of the evictions is that the extended family has to split between different areas. Nasser does not lose hope: “ of course we have hope to go back to my house because I know this is my rights”.
Photos: Anne Paq. Images of Ghawi family in front of their home now occupied by Israeli settlers, and image of a child of Ghawi family that had suffered physical injury from Israeli settler.
www.internal-displacement.org/countries/opt
© Activestills/Anne Paq
Ghawi Family in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem (Displaced)
Ghawi Family in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem (Displaced)
On August 2nd 2009, the 88 year-old, Abdel-Fatteh Ghawi, his seven children and their families (37 people altogether) were evicted from their shared house in Sheikh Jarrah, a neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli settlers moved in the same day. The eviction was the culmination of long standing court debacle against Israeli settlers contesting ownership of the land. The Ghawi family had lived in Sheikh Jarrah for more than 50 years. They are Palestinian refugees from the Palestinian village of Sarafand. In 1956 the Palestinian families were settled in Karem al-Ja’ouni by UNRWA and the Jordanian Government, on the condition that they renounce their refugee status. Under the terms of the agreement they rented the houses built by the Jordanian government for a nominal fee. The agreement stated that after three years the families would receive the legal title to the property; however the Jordanian government never registered the families as owners.
In the 70s, Israeli settlers claimed that they have ownership of the houses on the basis of a historical and religious affiliation to the land. Since then, a long drawn out battle in front of the Israeli courts has taken place involving several families of Sheikh Jarah against Israeli settlers. In April 2002, following a Israeli Supreme Court ruling against their favour, over 500 police, closed off the whole area, and evicted the Hannoun and Gawi families from their houses. The police used force against the family, including children, and removed the furniture from the house. The family were charged the cost of the police operation. The Hannoun family were forced to find rented accommodation to live, whilst the Ghawi family lived in a tent for 6 months until the municipality arrived to demolish it.
In 2006, during continued litigation in the Israeli courts, the Ghawi and Hannoun families returned to their homes however several years later in August 2009, the Ghawi family was evicted yet again. The Ghawi family have set up a tent on the pavement opposite their old house. The tent has been demoilshed by the Israeli authorities on at least four separate occassions. The tent has been re-erected each time. In 2010, Ghawi family were ordered to pay 13,000 NIS for expenses incurred by the Israeli authories in their expulsion from their home. The Ghawi family is not the only family affected in Sheikh Jarrah. Since Ghawi’s evictions three other families have been evicted. In total, 27 families are concerned at risk of displacement in this neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.
Nasser Gawi who has 5 children, has now to pay an expensive rent in Al Issawiya. He said that his children feel depressed about the loss of their homes. One of the negative consequences of the evictions is that the extended family has to split between different areas. Nasser does not lose hope: “ of course we have hope to go back to my house because I know this is my rights”.
Photos: Anne Paq. Images of Ghawi family in front of their home now occupied by Israeli settlers, and image of a child of Ghawi family that had suffered physical injury from Israeli settler.
www.internal-displacement.org/countries/opt
© Activestills/Anne Paq