Palestinians Evicted From Homes in Dispute With Israeli Rightists
Several dozen Palestinians have been evicted from homes in East Jerusalem after losing a legal battle against Israeli rightists working to settle Jews in Arab neighborhoods in the area.

Police officers removed the Palestinians from two apartment houses in the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood late Monday night. A resident of one building said it housed 40 members of an extended family.

The move results from the efforts of Benny Elon, a rightist Israeli lawmaker, who says his goal is to expand the Jewish presence in East Jerusalem to prevent the ceding of the area in any peace agreement. Palestinians see the area as the future capital of their hoped-for state. Several Jewish families already live in Sheik Jarrah because Arab tenants have been removed.
The Palestinians' removal followed a court ruling that the tenants should be evicted because they failed to pay rent to Jewish associations that the court said owned the land.

The evicted residents, some of whom have been sleeping in a tent on the street, assert that the land is Arab-owned. A court hearing on the claims has been scheduled for June.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/25/international/middleeast/25FAMI.html