Forced Expulsion of the Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah: The so-called only democracy in the Middle East should halt its ethnic cleansing campaigns 

Despite the ongoing normalization deals between the Arab countries and Israel, the Sheikh Jarrah dispute stirred tremendous Arab outrage. Activists use the hashtag #SaveSheikhJarrah, along with other hashtags to support the people there; it has become a trending hashtag, attracting thousands of tweets and posts on Facebook.  The Palestinians succeeded in bringing the Arab-Israeli conflict back to the forefront of global politics. 

 Mohamed El-Kurd, who has used his platform for years to advocate for his family and neighbors in Sheikh Jarrah, said, “There needs to be real action. These settler organizations need to be stopped now. Even if we can’t get them to return all the land they have stolen from us already, we need to stop them before they take more. There’s nothing left for us.” 

 The UN’s Human Rights office (OHCHR), on Friday, called on Israel to halt all forced evictions, particularly those in Sheikh Jarrah Village. Experts believe that forced evictions if implemented, would violate Israel’s obligation under international law.  

 Rupert Colville, the Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner, said,“Given the disturbing scenes in Sheikh Jarrah over the past few days, we wish to emphasize that East Jerusalem remains part of the occupied Palestinian territory, in which International Humanitarian Law applies. The occupying Power must respect and cannot confiscate private property in occupied territory, and must respect, unless absolutely prevented, the laws in force in the country.”  

They are not breathing since 1948  

In fact, ethnic cleansing is part of the larger zionist project that aims to solve the demographic problem in Israel. Prior to 1948, the Zionists were planning to expel Arabs out of Palestine, believing that they might expose Israel’s national security to tremendous threats. 

Ilan Pappé, an Israeli-born historian, who is one of the biggest critics of the state of Israel, stated that Zionists prior to 1948 had a well-planned strategy to expel Palestinians out of their homelands. He believes that almost all the literature on the Arab-Israeli conflict is biased. In the U.S. and Europe, journalists, analysts, and historians adopt a pro-Israeli narrative, presenting a distorted, one-sided image of reality. 

Palestinians are not only stripped of land rights but also the right to narrate their own experience. In the days following the UN partition plan, Ben-Gurion said to his Zionist counterparts that a Jewish state in which Jews made up only 60% was not viable. Thus, evicting as many Arabs as possible was the best solution.  

Accordingly, the successive Israeli governments relied on the settlement card, increasing the power and influence of Jews over occupied Palestine, and definitely, the Palestinians are the ones who pay the price.In contrary to the prevailing narrative, Palestinians did not willingly leave Palestine in 1948. Instead, they were compelled to leave as a result of the Zionist campaign of ethnic cleansing.   

 Those who chose to remain in Palestine are facing racism, humiliation, and unequal treatment. Videos of Palesntinas getting expelled from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah Village went viral on social platforms. Palestinians are trying to grab international attention. It’s no surprise that Instagram blocked some of these accounts.   

Despite the international condemnation from international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU); these efforts exist on paper, not in reality. The Zionist state breach article(242) that calls on Israel to withdraw from territories occupied in 1967.  

 “Forced evictions are a key factor in creating a coercive environment that may lead to forcible transfer, which is prohibited by the Fourth Geneva Convention and is a grave breach of the Convention,” the Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner said. 

 U.S. Hypocrisy   

Even though the U.S. theoretically positioned itself as a mediator in the conflict, practically this was far from reality. Mr. Biden, for instance, stated in the 1970s that Israel is a strategic ally. Likewise, American Vice President Kamala Harris followed the same rhetoric, attacking the International Criminal Court (ICC) for opening war crime investigations in the Occupied territories.  

All in all, the lack of power balance between the two main parties engaged in the conflict, namely Palestine and Israel,  will expose Palestinians to further humiliation unless the U.S. and the Arab states choose to act.