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A Kfar Shalem resident clearing out his home as police officers look on. (Mati Milstein) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 15:59 25/12/2007 Police finish evacuation of Kfar Shalem residents in south T.A. By Meron Rapoport, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service Tags: Kfar Shalem, Amidar  Police evacuated roughly 30 families from the southern Tel Aviv neighborhood of Kfar Shalem Tuesday morning, after a long legal dispute over land slated for a housing project. The disputed section of the neighborhood lies between Mahal Street and Moshe Dayan Street. A bulldozer was brought in to begin demolition. Dozens of social activists were at the scene protesting the evacuation. Police arrested a total of seven people - two protesters and five residents. Advertisement Hadash MK Dov Khenin called on Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai to stop the evacuation immediately. "It's impossible to accept the expulsion of people from apartments they have lived in for years for the benefit of real estate entrepreneurs. The mayor must remember his duty to the city's residents," he said. The evacuation became imminent after Ramle's Bailiff's Office rejected on Thursday a last-ditch request to defer evacuating the occupants. The Israel Land Administration (ILA) sold the land on which the residents live to private-sector businessmen who demand the residents be evicted without awarding them compensation. The eight-dunam area in question is home to some 70 residents. 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. The evacuation was postponed in July after Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim intervened when it became clear that the eviction order was to be applied to ILA lands as well. The ILA then reached an agreement with representatives of the owner, Ruma Efrati, that the residents on ILA land would not be evicted. Most Kfar Shalem families have lived in the neighborhood since 1949, when they came to Israel from Yemen. They were sent there by the Jewish Agency in order to prevent the area's Palestinian inhabitants from returning. "Ben Gurion put my wife's grandfather and grandmother here. Where's the state, municipality, the Israel Lands Administration, and Amidar?" said Avi Harayti, 32, a father of three and one of the evacuees. Related articles: Suddenly they are called 'squatters' 30 families facing eviction in South Tel Aviv win Supreme Court reprieve Bookmark to del.icio.us Aliyah from Iran A group of 40 new immigrants from Iran touched down in Israel on Tuesday. Race to White House Top Republican candidate Mike Huckabee supports dialogue with Iran.   1.   amidar 10:42  |  michel 25/12/07   2.   Rabble rouser Meron 10:50  |  Israeli 25/12/07   3.   Police evacuate residents of Kfar Shalem 11:04  |  Fran?ois JADOUL 25/12/07   4.   kfar shalem 12:02  |  david 25/12/07   5.   Without Compensation?! 12:36  |  Awake 25/12/07   6.   Social Justice 12:41  |  Ethan 25/12/07   7.   This government only knows how to evacuate Jews 12:54  |  israeli 25/12/07   8.   The writing is on the wall 13:05  |  Yonatan 25/12/07   9.   Heroes against Jews only 13:15  |  Don Lary 25/12/07   10.   Lets see them try to do that in Ramat Aviv 13:27  |  SJ 25/12/07   11.   The time will come for people to cut the throats of the rich. 14:18  |  no name 25/12/07   12.   Headline: "Evacuate" means "Kick out of their homes" 14:24  |  Dave 25/12/07   13.   You Allowed Ethnic Cleansing of Jews in Gush Katif 14:30  |  Ghost of Gush Katif 25/12/07   14.   starts in shame and finishes in shame 14:30  |  Murray 25/12/07   15.   THESE PEOPLE ARE POOR AND ALSO POOR PEOPLE SO 15:30  |  Robert 25/12/07   16.   Absolute Corruption 03:47  |  Meron Cohen 26/12/07   17.   History repeats 19:03  |  Amir 26/12/07

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