Last update - 00:00 18/07/2007
30 families facing eviction in South Tel Aviv win Supreme Court reprieve
By Yigal Hai
The Supreme Court has postponed, "pending a different ruling," the eviction of 30 families who have been living for decades in the Kfar Shalem neighborhood of south Tel Aviv.
The residents filed a request Tuesday afternoon to appeal that morning's verdict of the Tel Aviv District Court not to delay any longer the planned eviction, and another request for an injunction to hold up the eviction process.
In a previous ruling about a month ago, the Bailiff's Office set "flexible eviction" dates between July 15 and July 19, but Supreme Court Acting Justice Joseph Elon ruled yesterday that "at this stage the implementation of the eviction process is on hold." He ordered the landowner to respond to the residents' request by Sunday.
The 8-dunam area in question is home to some 70 residents, including single mothers and elderly women. The families claim they have rights to the property and are entitled to compensation for vacating it, both in keeping with urban renewal regulations and on the grounds that some residents are protected tenants. The authorities maintain that the residents are squatters, even though some of the families have been paying rent for years to the government-operated housing company Amidar.
At 7:30 A.M. Tuesday, the police searched residents' homes and arrested three residents for allegedly possessing gas canisters attached to car tires and gunpowder. The police also confiscated gas canisters and tires. Neighborhood representatives denied the police allegations.