Sweden, the European Union's presidency, has hit out at Israel's "unacceptable" eviction of two Palestinian families from a neighbourhood in east Jerusalem at the weekend.

"The presidency of the European Union reiterates its serious concerns about the continued and unacceptable evictions in east Jerusalem, notably the evictions by Israeli authorities of two families," the Swedish presidency of the EU said in a statement.

"House demolitions, evictions and settlement activities in east Jerusalem are illegal under international law," the statement went on.

The presidency added that "the actions taken by the Israeli government contravene repeated calls by the international community... to refrain from any provocative actions in east Jerusalem."

It said the evictions showed a "worrying trend" that threatened attempts to find a solution to conflict in the region.

Israeli police evicted the two Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah district of east Jerusalem on Sunday.

The Supreme Court ordered the evictions following an appeal by the Nahalat Shimon International settler group which claimed Jewish settlers have title deeds for the properties, despite UN and Palestinian denials.