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Palestine & Israel

How your support made a difference in Jerusalem

Last summer we asked you to stand up and support Nassir Al-Ghawi, who had been evicted from his home in Jerusalem.

Nassir and his family were forced from their home in the middle of the night by the Israeli army and could only look on as their house was handed over to Israeli settlers. He and his family were living on a sofa outside their home to highlight the injustice.

Trócaire supporters responded to Nassir’s story by signing our e-action calling on European governments to defend the rights of people like Nassir.

Nassir Al-Ghawi and Trócaire Campaigns Officer Orla Quinn
Nassir Al-Ghawi and Trócaire Campaigns Officer Orla Quinn outside his home. Nassir and his family were evicted from their home in the middle of the night by the Israeli army. Photos: Alan Whelan.

Nassir’s case also received international attention due to the efforts of our partner organisations in Israel, including the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICHAD). Mary Robinson and Jimmy Carter both visited Sheikh Jarrah, the Palestinian area of Jerusalem where Nassir and many others had been forced from.

The pressure exerted by people in Ireland and elsewhere made a difference and forced Israel to stop house evictions in Sheikh Jarrah.

Just last month Nassir told us that he believed the international attention forced Israel to halt its policy of evicting Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah and replacing them with Israeli settlers.

Nassir also received good news in January when a court ruled that his eviction was not carried out with due process. It was a small victory but it gives him hope that one day a court will rule that the house legally belongs to him.

“The court said that my eviction was carried out illegally but I am still not back in my house,” he said. “I want a little bit of justice in the courts of Israel so as I can end my struggle here on the street. Israel should know that they cannot go on ignoring our rights.”

On behalf of Nassir, thank you for taking the time to call for human rights to be respected in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Our current e-action campaign is highlighting the need for humanitarian access to the Nuba region of Sudan, where lives are being destroyed through conflict.

Please take the action and lend your voice to calls for live-saving help to be allowed into the Nuba Mountains.

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