On Monday at dawn, under-cover forces of the Israeli army, and military intelligence officers handed residents of Shu'fat refugee camp in Jerusalem warrants to evacuate their homes within 14 days after claiming that the land where the houses are constructed belong to the sons of a deceased Jewish woman.!– @page { size: 21.59cm 27.94cm; margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } –>The warrants state that the “sons of Rachel Phillipin” are the owners of the land and that constructions on it are illegal and should be evacuated within 14 days, or else they will be evacuated by force”.
The warrants were issued on March 29 but were only handed to the residents on Monday as all Israeli departments were closed due to the Jewish feast.
Residents of the attacked houses said that soldiers violently knocked at their doors at 2:30 at dawn, broke into their houses and handed them the evacuation orders while filming the residents using video cameras.
Other evacuation orders where hanged on the doors of several others apartments.
The residents added that the attacked apartments buildings are four, and include a total of 87 flats, and that at that a total of 300 residents are living there.
Resident Rania Abu Ayyash, said that after her husband left to work during early dawn hours before the soldiers surrounded the building and violently knocked on the door.
“I opened the door, and found special forces wearing black uniforms, and two intelligence officers who asked for identification papers”, Rania said, “Then they filmed the house using video cameras, handed me the evacuation orders, and one of them told me that I better leave in two days before they come and destroy its properties”.
She added that she used to live in a rented home in Al Ram town, and that she and her husband bought this house three years ago and moved to it along with their five and two-year old sons.
They bought the house for 18.000 Jordanian dinars and have documents that prove the purchase.
She lives in the third floor of a 135 square meters house that includes three bedrooms, one living room, veranda and the other accessories.
“We worked day and night to pay for the house, were are still in debt”, she said, “And now, they just broke into it and want us to leave, this is injustice”.
Resident Mahmoud Sarahdah, 63, said that he spent 10 years saving money to pay the first payment of the house, which is 4000 Jordanian Dinars, and that the house is 135 square meters of a 20.000 Dinars value.
He is living in the house with his wife and five children, one of his children is married and a father of one girl.
“We didn't wake up when they knocked, in the morning I found the evacuation warrant hanging on my door”, Sarahdah said, “When I saw the warrant, I went to see the owner of the land Sheikh Abdullah Alqam”.
Sheikh Alqam and Sarahdah headed to lawyer Majid Ghanayim who represents Alqam. Ghanayim said that there are official documents that proves that Alqam is the owner of the land.
The lawyer also said that the warrants handed to the residents are illegal since they were not issued by the court.
Resident Ali Al Mhalwis, 50, moved into his house last year after buying it for 26000 Jordanian Dinars; he lives in the third floor.
“When I heard the knocking on my door, I opened it and one soldier asked me for my identity card”, Al Mhalwis stated, “I gave him the card, then he handed me the warrant while filming me with a video camera”.
Al Mhalwis lives in the house with his wife and four children. So far, he paid 16000 Dinars of the whole amount.
Resident Fathiyya Al Mughrabi, lives in the second floor of another building, while her son lives in the first floor with his wife and seven children.
“We lived 30 years in rented apartments”, she said, “We managed to pay 6000 Jordanian Dinars of the whole amount, we are still paying since we only moved here four months ago”.
The residents described the attack as a direct violation to human rights and to their residency rights in Jerusalem.
They added that what happened, and what is happening, is illegal since they have the right to defend their cases in a court of law instead of being attacked by soldiers knocking at their door during late night hours and terrifying the children.
