An Israeli judge decided to postpone the ruling on whether the Palestinian Salem family would be forcefully expelled from their home in Sheikh Jarrah on February 22. The expulsion of the Salem family, who have lived in their home in Sheikh Jarrah since 1951, was scheduled to take place in early March but was postponed due to the judge's fear that it was taking place close to the month of Ramadan. Concerns related to rising tensions in the city prompted the postponement of a court decision on the expulsions last year.

In the weeks prior to the February postponement, Israeli lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir (Religious Zionist Party) led Israeli settlers in harassing the Salem family and their Palestinian neighbors on a near daily basis. On February 12, Israeli settlers injured several Palestinians by throwing stones at them and using pepper spray. Ben-Gvir also announced that he would reopen his make-shift office outside of the family’s home. 

The following day, on February 13, Israeli police violently dispersed Palestinians who were protesting Ben-Gvir and his settler following’s provocative presence in the neighborhood - 31 Palestinians were injured. The settlers declared themselves the “landlords” of Sheikh Jarrah and threw various objects at the Salem family home and at Palestinians standing in solidarity with the family. Settlers continued to congregate outside the Salem home and vandalize Palestinian property in the neighborhood until a few days after the court decision. Israeli police also continued to violently disperse Palestinian protestors daily, injuring dozens, and partially closing the neighborhood to prevent Palestinians from displaying their solidarity with residents facing expulsion.

This featured entry for the newly released month of February 2022 focuses on Israel’s systematic effort to Judaize East Jerusalem through an unjust legal regime that favors Jewish settlers over the Palestinian population. The Chronology offers countless of entries on this subject and 21 entries on Ben-Gvir’s incitement against Palestinians, dating back to 1995.