Settlers Seize Home in Jerusalem's Old City

On 29 July, two dozen settlers seized the homes of nine Palestinian families in a two story building in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City.

One of the evicted residents, Nasser Quirresh, had lived in the building with around 50 members of his extended family for over 60 years. His family had been renting the apartment from Suleiman Handal, who has been living in the United States for the last 20 years.

During the settlers' raid, Quirresh and most of his family were attending a wedding. The few family members who were in the apartment, however, refused to leave, although Quirresh's entire family was eventually evacuated from the premises.

Amid the chaos of the evictions, the settlers installed security cameras and added barbed wire fences on the roof of the building. Quirresh, however, is not giving up: he is planning to obtain a court order to remove the settlers. As of now, only certain children of the family are allowed access to one room in Quirresh's apartment.

Numerous legal complications exist surrounding the evictions. To begin with, it is unclear whether the settlers actually own the property. The settlers claim that they bought the apartment from Mr. Handal. However, Mr. Quirresh believes that the settlers bought the apartment from Mr. Handal's grandchildren. If Mr. Quirresh's claim is true, the settlers would have the right to collect his rent, but would not legally be able to evict him and his family.

The battle between the Quirresh family and the settlers began over a decade ago. In 1996, the settlers initiated a 15 year legal battle against the Quirresh family. Although it is unclear whether the petitioners were seeking ownership rights or an eviction order, they were unsuccessful in acquiring any of these papers.

Nonetheless, the settlers arrived to the apartment on 29 July with police escorts, even though the authenticity of the documents they presented to the police is still in question. According to the Palestinian Authority Chief of Jerusalem Affairs, Hatem Abdel Qader, the documents are fake.

The settlers belong to the Ateret Cohanim Organization, based in the Old City of Jerusalem. The institution functions as a settlement organization and a Jewish religious school, working to increase the number of Jewish settlers in the Old City, claiming that 'the presence of tens of Jewish families and yeshiva students, each displaying enormous self-sacrifice and spiritual strength on a daily basis prevented the development of terror cells and drug dealers [in Jerusalem]."