Last update - 00:00 14/01/2007
Ideologist 'squatter' group evicted from abandoned T.A. building
By Nir Hasson, Haaretz Correspondent
A group comprising an Israel Defense Forces soldier, two refugees from Sudan, a single-parent family, students and social activists took over an abandoned building in Tel Aviv about a month and a half ago.
Their intention was to convert the three-story building into an all-purpose community center and a shelter for the homeless, in the spirit of the world-wide "squatter" movement.
However, Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court judge Meir Yifrah was not impressed with the group's ideological intentions, and issued an evacuation order. Several dozen police officers arrived at the address early Sunday morning and evacuated the residents.
According to the residents, the building has been abandoned for many years. Some six weeks ago, several people began using the building for various purposes.
One of those people was Shai Davidowitz, a social activist. "The building has been uninhabited for ten years," he said, "the door was open, so we went in and began renovating. We worked pretty hard, the neighbors were supportive and donated things, and then people started coming in."
The new residents of the building had a far-reaching vision for the Tel Aviv building they named "the social community center"
The residents distributed old clothes to the needy out of the center and two culture events were held in it. On Sunday, a movie was to be screened. The activists received a donation of ten computers and were going to open a computer class for underprivileged children. Additional plans included opening a guest house for people in need of a roof and a meal, opening galleries to be used by unknown artists, opening rehearsal spaces for local musicians.
Word of the community center spread quickly, and many homeless people from across the city had begun arriving. "We don't see the place as belonging to us, rather we wanted to open it up and use it to cater to the city's social needs as long as it is not being used for anything else," said one of the residents, Yotam Feldman.
The founding of the social community center came to the attention of the owner's guardian a week ago (the actual owner was deemed unfit to attend to his affairs and was appointed a guardian), and he took the matter to court.
The building's residents retained the services of attorney Dan Assan to represent them and prevent the evacuation. Assan tried to assert that the owner had relinquished his right of property when he abandoned the building.
However, the judge ruled in favor of the owner and ordered the evacuation.
The residents' request to delay proceedings was denied and the evacuation was speedily executed. Four people who were evacuated Sunday morning were taken in for questioning by the police and released several hours later. Guards have been placed at the site to prevent the squatters from reentering. The building is also scheduled to be boarded up and sealed.