JERUSALEM, August 12, 2017 (WAFA) - The European Union (EU) Representative and the EU Heads of Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah Friday expressed concern at Israeli plans to evict a Palestinian family from its home in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem for the benefit of Jewish settlers and called on Israel to reconsider its decision.

The Shamasneh family is threatened with imminent eviction from the home it has been living in since 1964 after an Israeli court ruled that the property belongs to Jewish families and therefore the Palestinian family should leave it and turn it over to its alleged Jewish owners.

The EU warned that Israeli settlement plans in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and East Jerusalem could affect at least 180 Palestinian households in Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan, the Old City and Beit Safafa, who are also facing the threat of eviction from their homes.

“The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah recall 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 and demolitions,” said the EU statement. “The settlement policy is illegal under international law, and its continuation undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace.”

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