British Consul General stated on Wednesday that forced evictions of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem are of serious concern for the UK government, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
The UK Consulate General said in a statement that Corner joined a number of diplomats on Tuesday for a visit to Um Haroun, in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where 300 Palestinians are at risk of eviction by Israeli authorities.
تَعتبر #المملكة_المتحدة🇬🇧 #القدس_الشرقية أرضًا محتلة، وتشكل عمليات الإخلاء وهدم المنازل في القدس الشرقية مصدر قلق كبير للحكومة البريطانية. فمثل هذه الأعمال غير قانونية بموجب القانون الدولي الإنساني، كما انها تسبب معاناة لا داعي لها ولا تؤدي إلا الى تأجيج التوترات على الأرض. 22 pic.twitter.com/YCO0rYhlSP
— UKinJerusalem🇬🇧 (@UKinJerusalem) January 13, 2022
The visit of the British Consul General in Jerusalem provided the opportunity to hear more about the current challenges facing the residents and was a reminder of the ongoing threats to stability in East Jerusalem.
Today the British Consulate🇬🇧 joined Belgium🇧🇪, EU🇪🇺, France🇫🇷, Germany🇩🇪 Ireland🇮🇪, and Netherlands🇳🇱 at the @TentOfNations to demonstrate our support for this extraordinary Christian✝️family. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/cCIIbDMQ84
— UKinJerusalem🇬🇧 (@UKinJerusalem) January 11, 2022
Corner met with representatives of the Sheikh Jarrah local community, led by Mohammad Kiswani, and visited a Palestinian family facing imminent threat of home demolition.
During her visit, Corner said:
“The UK government considers East Jerusalem as occupied territory. The threat of eviction faced by Palestinian families in East Jerusalem and on other parts of the West Bank is of serious concern for the UK Government. Evictions are illegal under international humanitarian law. They cause unnecessary suffering and they only serve to fuel tensions on the ground.”
“This visit reaffirms the UK’s commitment to Palestinian presence in East Jerusalem and sends a message of support to those facing eviction,” the statement concluded.
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)