Awad Rjoob
10 May 2026•Update: 10 May 2026
A Palestinian rights group said Sunday that it secured an urgent Israeli court order temporarily freezing the demolition of about 50 Palestinian commercial facilities near occupied East Jerusalem.
The Society of Saint Yves (the Catholic Center for Human Rights) said in a statement that its legal team succeeded late Saturday in obtaining “an urgent decision freezing the demolition of around 50 commercial shops at the entrance to al-Eizariya on a temporary basis.”
The group said its lawyers “continued working without interruption in defense of residents” and managed to file “an urgent petition” before Israel’s Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, the Jerusalem Governorate said Israeli authorities verbally notified about 50 Palestinians to evacuate their shops and commercial facilities in the al-Mashtal area at the main entrance to the town of al-Eizariya, southeast of East Jerusalem, before Sunday morning, in preparation for implementing demolition orders issued in August 2025.
The governorate said Israeli authorities threatened to demolish the facilities along with their contents if owners failed to comply within the specified deadline.
According to the society, Israel’s demolition decision lacks a genuine legal basis, particularly since any claims related to “unlicensed construction” legally require formal notices and an opportunity for owners to submit licensing applications and objections under Jordanian-era laws still applied in the area.
The petition also aims to gain time for shop owners to confront a broader project linked to a settlement road, which is believed to be connected to the planned demolitions, the organization said.
The road is tied to the controversial E1 illegal settlement project, which aims to connect occupied East Jerusalem with illegal settlements east of the city, including Maale Adumim, through land confiscation and construction of new illegal settlements.
According to the group, the project includes infrastructure plans designed to separate Palestinian and illegal occupants through separate road systems, including tunnels for Palestinians and surface roads for occupiers.
Palestinian officials warn that the plan would effectively divide the occupied West Bank into northern and southern sections and isolate several Palestinian communities.
The E1 plan has faced broad international opposition for years, delaying its implementation.
The international community and the UN consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, an occupied Palestinian territory and view Israeli settlements there as illegal under international law.
In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul
