Members of the Custodian of Absentees’ Property Department along with Israeli settlers attempted to seize a piece of land in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem yesterday.

Hashem Badr, a member of a local committee, said that members of the Israeli Custodian of Absentees’ Property department, under armed protection of Israeli occupation forces, stormed the western part of Sheikh Jarrah and attempted to seize Palestinian land.

Badr confirmed that the land belongs to Palestinian resident, Abdulrazaq Sheikh; the land measures about 50 square metres and is located directly in front of his house.

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He added that Israeli bulldozers entered the neighbourhood and began to raze the land and uproot several trees, while Israeli forces surrounded the area and prevented access to it.

Badr stressed that the Custodian of Absentees’ Property attempted to claim ownership of the property and attempted to carry out the seizure without an official court order.

Israelis have claimed that Sheikh Jarrah was once the site of a 19th century Jewish community. Many families in the neighbourhood have been embroiled in legal disputes for decades, as various Israeli settlers have attempted to claim ownership of their homes.