The Office of the European Union Representative called upon the Israeli occupation authorities to cancel a recent court ruling, which orders the eviction of eight Palestinian families in the Batan al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem and a ninth family in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

On November 3 and 23, Israeli courts ruled to uphold eviction of eight Palestinian families in the Batan al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem -- affecting 45 people, including small children -- and the Sabbagh family in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem -- affecting 32 members of the family, including six children, putting all families at imminent risk of forced transfer.

The EU Representative said that in the last several years, the number of eviction decisions has increased in particular in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, where entire communities of close to 200 families are at risk. In Batan al-Hawa alone, 14 families have already lost their homes since 2015 and over 80 other households are facing eviction demands and are at imminent risk of displacement.

The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah recalled the successive Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions and statements in which the EU has repeated its strong opposition to Israel's settlement policy and actions taken in this context, including evictions.

"This policy is illegal under international law and its continuation undermines the viability of the two-state solution, the prospect for a lasting peace and seriously jeopardizes the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both States", they stated.