Ateret Cohanim

Ateret Cohanim is an Israeli organization dedicated to increasing the Jewish population in East Jerusalem, particularly in the Old City and surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods. They achieve this primarily through purchasing properties and pursuing legal challenges to evict Palestinian residents, often based on claims of pre-1948 Jewish ownership. The organization is newsworthy due to the recent increase in forced evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem, with human rights groups citing Ateret Cohanim's role in these displacements. Recent events include the raising of Israeli flags on properties acquired by the organization near Palestinian homes, symbolizing the expansion of Jewish presence and the displacement of Palestinian residents. These actions are seen as intensifying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and raising concerns about ethnic cleansing and violations of international law, making Ateret Cohanim a significant actor in the ongoing tensions surrounding Jerusalem.