On March 1, Israel’s Supreme Court halted the eviction of four Palestinian families in the Karam al-Jaouni area of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in east Jerusalem. 

According to the ruling, the al-Kurd, al-Jaouni, Skafi and Qassem families will remain in their homes as the Israeli Ministry of Justice examines the ownership documents submitted for the Sheikh Jarrah plots in question. According to Al Jazeera, this process could take years if it is ever finished.

Meanwhile, the four Palestinian families will deposit a symbolic amount of 2,400 shekels ($740) per year into a bank account. If the Justice Ministry rules against the four families, the money will be transferred to the Nahalat Shimon settlement community.

In 2021, the concerned Palestinian families of Sheikh Jarrah unanimously rejected a settlement proposal by the Supreme Court, according to which the neighborhood’s residents would be considered protected tenants of Nahalat Shimon and not official landowners. According to the proposal, Nahalat Shimon will refrain from eviction measures for 15 years after its signing or until ownership is determined.