Sheikh Jarrah resident on eviction threat by Jewish settlers

Suhad Abdel Latif has lived on this street in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem all of her life.

But soon, she and her family and relatives may be served with an eviction notice by an Israeli court.

Far-right Jewish settler groups have been waging legal battles against many of the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah claiming that the properties were originally owned by Jews before the war of 1948.

Israeli law allows only Jews to reclaim property lost during the 1948 war which saw the establishment of the State of Israel and the dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

"I was born in this neighbourhood. I am 42. And for 42 years I've been in this house, in this neighbourhood. My childhood, I took my first steps in this house, my first day of school was from here, through this house door," said Abdel Latif.

Following Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem in the June war of 1967, Israeli settler groups filed eviction suits against dozens of Palestinian families living there, many of whom are registered, by the UN relief and works agency, as Palestine refugees.

The lower courts have ruled in favour of the Jewish settlers.

The cases are now under appeal.

The looming evictions have triggered massive protests in East Jerusalem that quickly spread to the West Bank and in mixed cities within Israel.

On May 10, Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, fired rockets at Israel, triggering an 11-day war.

"This is my grandfather's home. He had received it from the UNRWA and the Jordanian government. It's not a big home. He lived in it with my grandmother, my father and my uncles. When my father got married, he built this home adjacent to my grandfather's home," Abdel Latif explained.

The High Court announced it will convene again before July 20 to listen to the residents' appeal.

"The recent activism that took place in Sheikh Jarrah and the protests by the youth, the sit ins, and their use of social media did make an achievement but in practice did not solve the issue," she said.

Meanwhile solidarity with the residents of the neighbourhood continued.

On Friday Palestinian and left-wing Israelis held a protest outside the neighbourhood.

Arab member of Knesset, Aida Touma-Suleiman was there.

"Our presence here today holds a special importance. It says the struggle and steadfastness of the people of Sheikh Jarrah is ongoing  and the more they intensify the attack against Sheikh Jarrah, the more we raise our struggle and support to them to stop the expulsion."