14.05.2021, Statement by the Regional Coordinators and the International Board: End immediately the Evictions in Sheikh Jarrah! End the Military Blockade of Gaza! Free Palestinian People!

We condemn the recent escalation of violence on both sides in Israel and Palestine, including the violent clashes between Palestinian civilians and Israeli security forces in Jerusalem. We are extremely worried about the air strikes in Gaza by the Israeli Government, that escalate the already dire humanitarian situation, and dramatically increase the risk of another war.

We condemn the eviction of 28 Palestinian families from their homes at Sheikh Jarrah area in Jerusalem by the occupying Israeli forces. Originally displaced from their homes in 1948, the government of Jordan, with approval from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA),  built the homes for the 28 families in Sheikh Jarrah in 1956. Eight additional families, totalling 87 Palestinian people, are at imminent risk of forced eviction in this time. Overall, more than 1,000 families are currently at risk of eviction.

Clearly, and yet again, the Israeli apartheid state is exerting its force directly, and illegally, to remove Palestinian residents in Jerusalem. This is continuing its militarized policy to remove Palestinian people from their homes and homeland. These state-sponsored policies and actions violate both international human rights laws and conventions AND commonly accepted democratic principles of self-determination and sovereignty. Moreover, and most fundamentally, these actions violate a core moral principle: protection of all life. Under these conditions, women are the most affected and are on the frontlines as leaders  protecting their families and community.  

The current actions are neither new nor unique in the history of the occupation of Palestine. The Israeli state has been allowed, indeed supported, to continue its destructive, bloody regime with impunity. Despite countless sanctions and condemnation by the UN,  human rights organizations such as B’Tselem and Human Rights Watch, and other concerned bodies throughout the decades, the US government in particular continues to provide military aid and ideological justification for the Israeli state.    

We, therefore, call on international support—unequivocal, unwavering—to end the current evictions and ultimately to support the sovereignty of the Palestinian people. Please join the 500 Palestinian Refugees residing in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem calling on the International Criminal Court to investigate imminent Forced Evictions in Sheikh Jarrah.  

Regional Coordinators and Board of Directors of PeaceWomen Across the Globe.