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A Silwan neighborhood East Jerusalem home which was taken over by Jewish settlers in 2005. (Lior Mizrahi / Archives)
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Last update - 19:03 18/02/2007
Court orders settlers to leave building in East Jerusalem
By Meron Rapoport, Haaretz Correspondent

The Ateret Cohanim association must give up one its major strongholds in East Jerusalem, after a court ordered it to seal up a seven-story building it erected in Kfar Silwan and evict its Jewish residents. This is the first time settlers will be forced to evacuate a building in East Jerusalem since the association began its settlement activities there after the 1967 Six-Day War.

Judge Eliahu Zimra, of the Jerusalem Court of Municipal Affairs, ruled that the eight families living in the building must leave within two months from today, after which all the building's openings must be sealed with concrete blocks. Each defendant was also ordered to pay a fine of NIS 3,500. If the building is not sealed by April 15, the district planning committee will carry out the task and charge the families for the work. The Supreme Court rejected the families' request for an extension of the deadline.

Palestinian residents of Silwan expressed great satisfaction with the ruling, which is likely to deal a hard blow to the settlers' effort to expand their foothold in the eastern part of the city.
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The original idea was for Jewish families to live in the area, in which Jews from Yemen had lived until the 1930s. No construction permit was ever issued for the building. The Jewish families moved in, under police guard, in April 2004, after the Palestinian family that had been living there was evicted. The eight Jewish families turned the building into one of the largest concentrations of Jews in East Jerusalem. Each family paid $250 per month to the Committee for the Renewal of Jewish Settlement in Silwan, which is associated with Ateret Cohanim.

After City Council member Yosef Papa Alalu (Meretz) contacted the municipality's legal adviser, the city initiated legal action against the families living in the building. The story of the building was also widely covered in Haaretz. Since the construction violation was discovered after the building was completed, an administrative demolition order could not be issued. The families were charged with using a building without a permit.

Municipal legal adviser Yossi Havilio attempted to force the families to leave and ordered water and electricity supplies to the building be disconnected, but his directives were not carried out. He also asked the Housing Ministry to stop funding its 24-hour guarding of the building, on the grounds that it amounted to facilitating violation of the law, but the ministry has continued to pay for the security detail
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  1.   Victory for me and East Jerusalem Palestinians!!!!!!!!!!! 02:57  |  MOE 18/02/07
  2.   Another enlightened move for Palestine! 03:12  |  Jon 18/02/07
  3.   Removal of settler-terrorists 04:17  |  Mitch Cohen 18/02/07
  4.   I`d like to hear the leftists and Palest. "defenders" to accuse 04:26  |  Marwan مروان خو 18/02/07
  5.   Illegal settlers 04:57  |  Racon-tour 18/02/07
  6.   MOE AND MITCH PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME 05:16  |  Miriam Davidowitz 18/02/07
  7.   Orders issued and not followed? 05:19  |  Karen R 18/02/07
  8.   it is these leftists that wish Apartied 05:25  |  David G 18/02/07
  9.   Jews Lived there since 1930! 05:28  |  Nat Weinstein 18/02/07
  10.   #6 06:09  |  MOE 18/02/07
  11.   Marwan damn stop acting like ur an Arab with ur Name 06:10  |  MOE 18/02/07
  12.   Another concession on the Israeli side 06:36  |  Avrum 18/02/07
  13.   re #7 `Orders issued and not followed?` 06:47  |  Colin Wright 18/02/07
  14.   Moe, are you okay? 06:52  |  Etoile 18/02/07
  15.   Moe from Miriam 06:58  |  Miriam 18/02/07
  16.   Concession? really? #12 07:12  |  papa jay 18/02/07
  17.   Moe, its time for you to realize -not every Arab shares your hate 07:18  |  Marwan مروان خو 18/02/07
  18.   "After which the building must be sealed with concrete blocks"?! 07:37  |  Hal 18/02/07
  19.   High time! 07:57  |  Esther 18/02/07
  20.   To Miriam 08:05  |  George 18/02/07
  21.   Reponse for David G#8 08:08  |  Esther 18/02/07
  22.   WEinstien, cretin 08:31  |  Marilyn 18/02/07
  23.   Meretz ally of the arabs 08:38  |  zionist forever 18/02/07
  24.   #9 Jews from Yemen??? 08:53  |  keith 18/02/07
  25.   Marwan Cohen, liar 08:58  |  KA 18/02/07
  26.   MOE 09:00  |  zionist forever 18/02/07
  27.   #4, MARWAN, just because of this doesn`t mean your out of the 09:11  |  VIPER 18/02/07
  28.   18: Hal, you probably support eviction from illegal Arab building 09:13  |  David Teich 18/02/07
  29.   Miriam Davidowitz 09:19  |  Walid 18/02/07
  30.   To Marilyn- land in Israel 10:07  |  David G 18/02/07
  31.   to Miriam Davidowitz in Durban S.Africa 10:23  |  Ari ben Yisrael 18/02/07
  32.   David G 10:26  |  Walid 18/02/07
  33.   I`ve got to wonder about the timing. 10:50  |  Deborah 18/02/07
  34.   Do not give up. 11:05  |  Vital 18/02/07
  35.   Dear All 11:08  |  A Bethlehemite 18/02/07
  36.   George #20 -- pointless and wrong 11:12  |  bbl 18/02/07
  37.   Some important FACTS 11:23  |  Stan 18/02/07
  38.   #24. keith - you ignoramus 11:27  |  Stan 18/02/07
  39.   Marilyn -- your quite proud of your serious ignorance 11:28  |  bbl 18/02/07
  40.   JEWS BEING EVICTED FROM J-M 11:29  |  DAVIDOV 18/02/07
  41.   Moe #11 -- you do know that Moe is a Jewish name, right? 11:30  |  bbl 18/02/07
  42.   Stan 11:57  |  Walid 18/02/07
  43.   to Walid 12:24  |  David G 18/02/07
  44.   Jeruselem and Surrounds belong to Jews !!! 12:25  |  Stan 18/02/07
  45.   Bad Sign 12:32  |  Stan 18/02/07
  46.   Nat Weinsteen Return Palestinians back to their homes in West Je 12:54  |  Bandar Michaels 18/02/07
  47.   David G 13:01  |  Walid 18/02/07
  48.   TO ARI BEN ISRAEL FROM MIRIAM 13:09  |  Miriam Davidowitz 18/02/07
  49.   35: Bethlehem liar, answer a few questions 13:09  |  David Teich 18/02/07
  50.   Bandar Michaels 13:15  |  Walid 18/02/07
  51.   One more reason why the Temple Mount should never be in Arab hand 13:23  |  SLAVO 18/02/07
  52.   Arabs always occupy Jewish landi in Israel 13:42  |  Steven 18/02/07
  53.   Walid 13:54  |  Bandar Michaels 18/02/07
  54.   Bandar Michaels 14:09  |  Walid 18/02/07
  55.   Bandar Michaels no Arabs belong to Jerusalem 14:18  |  Steven 18/02/07
  56.   David Teich..You are in denial part 1 14:25  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 18/02/07
  57.   1) MOE: Peace = end of Israel 14:30  |  Steven 18/02/07
  58.   David Teich in denial part 2 14:36  |  Abu Firas AL Qudsi 18/02/07
  59.   Abu Firas Al Qudsi you lie and then you say other do 14:38  |  Steven 18/02/07
  60.   Abu Firas al Qudsi 15:00  |  Walid 18/02/07
  61.   It would be understandable for them to blow a bus in Israel or WB 15:00  |  Allon 18/02/07
  62.   #56 15:15  |  duncan 18/02/07
  63.   ARI BEN ISRAEL 15:21  |  GABE1 18/02/07
  64.   Papa Jay 15:24  |  Avrum 18/02/07
  65.   Walid..Thats decent of you 15:38  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 18/02/07
  66.   David TEICH #49 15:41  |  Gabe1 18/02/07
  67.   Dream World 15:42  |  Mitch Cohen 18/02/07
  68.   #62 duncan wishful thinking 15:48  |  Abu Firas AL Qudsi 18/02/07
  69.   Walid- Gaza and S. African similarities 15:52  |  Avrum 18/02/07
  70.   Steven and the meaning of Arab 15:59  |  Bandar Michaels 18/02/07
  71.   Building a new temple. Not going to happen. No need 16:02  |  Avrum 18/02/07
  72.   simple 16:06  |  rose 18/02/07
  73.   Walid #60 16:07  |  Gabe1 18/02/07
  74.   #68 firas 16:10  |  duncan 18/02/07
  75.   Esther #19 16:14  |  Gabe1 18/02/07
  76.   Avrum 16:17  |  Walid 18/02/07
  77.   Judge Eliahu Zimra will go to hell for this,as well as his family 16:18  |  Like it is 18/02/07
  78.   #11 avrum 16:38  |  Racon-tour 18/02/07
  79.   Walid # 76 16:39  |  Avrum 18/02/07
  80.   to #63 little gabriel 16:48  |  Ari ben Yisrael 18/02/07
  81.   #77 another brave one with the curses 16:55  |  Ari ben Yisrael 18/02/07
  82.   Response for Gabe1#75 16:55  |  Esther