Israeli government plans new settlements in East Jerusalem as Palestinians are evicted

The Israeli government announced plans to construct an additional 900 housing units in East Jerusalem. Many are condemning the move, including General Ban Ki-moon who said the move threatens Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. President Obama also criticized the announcement and told Fox News that "additional settlement building does not contribute to Israel's security" but instead "embitters the Palestinians in a way that could end up being very dangerous."

State Department Spokesperson Ian Kelly said the announcement comes at a sensitive time.

"This is at a time when we’re working to re-launch negotiations, and we believe that these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed. So we object to this, and we object to other Israeli practices in Jerusalem related to housing, including the continuing pattern of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes."

To learn more about this issue, we go now to the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where more than 70 families are facing eviction notices to clear out their homes for Jewish settlers.  It’s the latest in a series of evictions targeting Palestinian families who’ve been living in the neighborhood for more than five decades. Israeli settlers claim the land is theirs and have already moved into four of the homes, leaving many Palestinian home owners in Sheikh Jarrah concerned that they too will end up on the street. FSRN’s Aya Batrawy reports.