Israeli court decision could pave way for Palestinian evictions in West Bank

Nothing is Foreign29:35Israeli court decision could pave way for Palestinian evictions in West Bank

An Israeli court decision could allow the government to evict around 1,200 Palestinians from the Masafer Yattaarea in the southernWest Bank.

The May 4 High Court of Justice rulingrejected the prior appeals against eviction orders issued to residents of the area, which Israel declared a military firing zone in the 1980s.

Palestinians say they have a right to remain on the land and have lived there for generations, but Israel argues theyare squatting and do not have the right to establish permanent residence in the firing zone.

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The decision is being criticized by some legal experts in Israel, and the United Nations said in a statementthat by upholding the eviction orders, the judicial systemhasgiven "carte blancheto the Israeli government to perpetuate the practice of systematic oppression against Palestinians."

We speak to Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard about how the land of Masafer Yatta became a legal and physical battleground and check in with Palestinian journalist Basel Adraabout his experiences of reporting on the 20-year-long land dispute.

Featuring:

• Basel Adra, Palestinian journalist.
• Michael Sfard, Israeli human rights lawyer.

Nothing is Foreign is a new podcast from CBC News and CBC Podcasts. A weekly trip to where the story is unfolding. Hosted by Tamara Khandaker.