Mayor bows to pressure, pledges to remove E. Jerusalem settlers
Barkat had resisted court order to evacuate Jewish-owned building in the Silwan area of East Jerusalem.
By Nir Hasson Tags: Jerusalem Israel newsJerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat bowed to pressure from legal officials on Wednesday and ordered the municipality to begin preparations for the evacuation and sealing of a residential building erected by nationalist Jews in the heart of an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
In a letter to State Prosecutor Moshe Lador, Barkat pledged to enforce the court order to evacuate the structure, though he added that he was doing so under protest.
Barkat also wrote that the municipality also planned to carry out razing orders for homes belonging to Palestinians. The mayor said there are 70 structures in East Jerusalem which are slated for demolition, and that fully enforcing the court rulings is liable to trigger a violent response from local Palestinians.
The Jewish-owned building, known by its Hebrew name as "Beit Yonatan," lies in Silwan, an Arab village of East Jerusalem. A court ruling declared that the home was built without the proper permits.
In his letter to Lador, Barkat said the court orders sabotaged a municipality plan to resolve the matter of illegal construction in East Jerusalem, something which would have allowed the buildings and their residents to remain in place.
Barkat also criticized the Jerusalem municipality's legal consultant, Yossi Havilio, who was the most vocal official in favor of enforcing the court orders.
Last week, Lador sent a letter to Barkat reprimanding him for his refusal to evacuate Beit Yonatan.
"I was sorry to receive your letter and to hear that even now Jerusalem has not yet made sure to adhere to court orders and has not sealed the building," Lador wrote in the letter.
"Acceptance of the situation in which court orders are not carried out expresses a biting failure," Lador said, adding that "Israel is a law abiding country, and in lawful countries court orders must be carried out."
Barkat has gone on the offensive against the municipal legal system, state prosecutor and the outgoing attorney general, Menachem Mazuz, following Mazuz's order to the police to immediately evict the Jews living in Beit Yonatan.
Mazuz's order, which follows a court decision, came in a letter directing Police Commissioner David Cohen to evacuate the residents of Beit Yonatan, but Jerusalem city manager Yair Ma'ayan announced that the municipality did not intend to have the order enforced.
The building in question was built more than five years ago by the Jewish nationalist organization Ateret Cohanim without a permit. Barkat has sought legal approval for four floors of the seven-story building, which is currently home to eight Jewish families.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
We will believe it when it is done. The veracity, the believability, the honesty, of Israel has been so trashed by the Israeli right in the last 20 years that only the most credulous can believe any statement. Only FACTS bear any validity.
which is ALL of them, since it's illegally occupied in the first place.
The area of the Siliwan known as the city of David should be an archeology site only, it is by far the oldest area in Jerusalem, and as such of great historical value. Cut the politics and move out everyone Jew and Arab alike and compensate them accordingly.
This building should be razed to the ground to never be occupied again. Naming the building after a traitor who should have been hung by the neck should shows the chutzpa of the squatters in the occupied territory.
Out of more than 10,000 illegal Arab structures. Tear down ALL illegal structures.
The Israeli Land & Holy City of Jerusalem belong to the Israeli people. Father God gave this land as their inheritance. Read Joshua & Ezekiel for clear specific guidelines-borders. This land is both, the Jewish people's home & home for all Christian people our Heavenly Father is sending home to HIS Land. We will need each other ... to stand against our common enemies & teach one another during these last days-end times.
Here are some Hebrew / English translations "We will remove the settlers" means "We will now give more land to the settlers" "Peace talks are being delayed by Hamas" means "We will now give more land to the settlers" "We would like outside mediators to help us attain security and stability" means "We will now give more land to the settlers" Hebrew is not a difficult language for those of us who spent years in Hebrew school. The alphabet is a bit tricky with those dots and dashes 'vowels' etc.
Justice will only come when enough people standup and shout their beliefs. Passivity or neutrality brings nothing but the status quo. We must speak out for truth and justice.
in order to paint our institutions as anti arab. whenever there is a court order to evacuate arabs the thing goes as fast as one can imagin only when it comes to jews the mayor refuses court orders and reprimand the city'loyer for advicing to follw it. what a shame and what a deception
is going to join the "price tag" movement.
"The mayor said there are 70 structures in East Jerusalem which are slated for demolition, and that fully enforcing the court rulings is liable to trigger a violent response from local Palestinians" This major normally does not object to evicting Palestinians but if he wants to change his ways it is easy: The Israeli court has no jurisdiction in East Jerusalem. The mayor can claim he has to obey the Geneva conventions. The court in the Hague will support him. The Jewish house is of course illegal under both international and Israeli law.
The High Court will be hiding under its benches.
Finally! Nir, why does it take so much energy for you just to enforce a court order? Israel must preserve its democracy, one of its most precious assets.
Please Mr. Barkat just do what you say. Sacrifice Beit Yonathan but make sure those 70 Arab buildings go to. Let the law see and pay for there non understanding of the situation. You have my VOTE !
... if the 7-story illegally built building is sealed after evacuation, then the legal owner of the land can't do a thing with it... if the mayor wants to continue his spite, then rather a court order to demolish completely...