Last update - 00:00 26/11/2007
Gov't committee calls for freeze in Wadi Ara demolitions
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
The Knesset House committee on Monday recommended a freeze in demolition warrants slated for homes in the Wadi Ara region.
A few weeks earlier, bulldozers demolished the only road to the unauthorized Arab community of Dar al-Hanun in Wadi Ara. In addition, demolition orders were issued for several homes in the community and a wedding hall in Dar al-Hanun.
The demolition warrants are a source of great anger for local residents, many of whom have warned that the situation may escalate if the decrees are carried out.
MK Nadia Hilou (Labor), who chaired the meeting, criticized the government for sending a low-ranking building inspector to attend the hearing, saying that apathy will make the government responsible when a crisis erupts over the matter.
During the meeting, the mayor of Umm al-Fah, Sheikh Hassam Abed Ah-Rahman, stated that "if the demolitions are carried out, they will also demolish the good relations between Arab and Jewish residents of the region."
Ah-Rahman said that Arab residents are not interested in breaking the law but that the state has given them little choice. According to local residents, building plans allowed under Israeli law are not able to accommodate the rapid growth of the region.
The committee decided to carry out a tour of the region in the near future. In addition, they called on government building and planning committees to heed the building needs of Wadi Ara residents.