Court rejects settlers' appeal to stay in East Jerusalem building
The 7-story Beit Yehonatan structure was built by ultra-nationalists in the heart of Silwan, a predominantly Arab neighborhood.
By Nir Hasson Tags: East JerusalemThe Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal to overturn an order to seal off a building in the heart of East Jerusalem in which a handful of Jewish families have settled.
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The Beit Yehonatan building, settled by ultra-nationalist Jews in the heart of East Jerusalem. |
| Photo by: Tess Scheflan |
The Jerusalem municipality ordered the contentious Beit Yehonatan building, named for convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, to be sealed off and evacuated as it was constructed without a legal permit.
City officials began gauging the complex in April, nearly nine months after the court ordered its evacuation. The seven-story residential structure was built illegally in the heart of the predominantly Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan by the nationalist association Ateret Cohanim.
Jerusalem legal adviser, Yossi Havilio, had been leading the municipal crackdown on the right-wing tenants who occupy the building, butting heads with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who was hesitant to enforce the evacuation order.
Barkat in February bowed to pressure from legal officials and vowed to uphold the court order to evacuate and seal the building. Prior to that, Barkat managed to have the city's planning and construction committee approve a plan permitting the construction of four floors in the building in order to legalize - at least partially - the seven-story structure.
The mayor defended his campaign to legalize the building saying, among other things, that evacuation could lead to clashes between right-wing activists and Silwan's Arab residents.
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The first 4 floors are legal, the top 3 are not approved. Tearing it down is a legal "waste" and abhored by the Courts. It demonstrates that the Courts are not neutral as they need only go as for as to dictate tha the building be brought to code. If they had the courage of their biased convictions they would allocate the Arabs the top 3 floors as there is no shomer shabbos elevator.
It doesn't take a law degree to see through Barkat's flimsy attempt to portray a criminal activity as being legal. The court just proved its neutrality...they had the courage to enforce Israeli law.
The court has ruled. We should now follow the rule of law. To abort the court ruling is to abort justice. We should uphold justice always. Without justice, all of us are at risk.
The court has ruled. We should now follow the rule of law. To abort the court ruling is to abort justice. We should uphold justice always. Without justice, all of us are at risk.
Legalize the building and then make sure that it doesn't become a ghetto. Like apartment buildings in all democracies this oone should be open to anyone. Better still, it might be good to ensure that half the building's owners or renters are Jews, and the other half are Arabs or any other group of Israeli citizens. Peace is a mitvah, and so is loving one's neighbour - and yes mitzvot are not always easy, but we have to make the effort. Jerusalem is and should always be the capital of Israel, but any citizen should be able to live there, and to choose which neighbourhood.
But I doubt the world will cry about this building as they cry for those illegally built by Arabs
My firs question when I read about Jews who move into Arab neighborhoods is - how are they getting along? For some reason this question is almost never asked.
the rule of law,and the upholding of that law,is the first thing that sets a civilised country apart,from a country that is not
Thousands of Arabs have moved west , why cant some Jews move east, what is the difference, if you want to divide the city than this should work both ways , why are there not peace now activists outside Arab houses in the west part of the city, is this not racism, can someone please explain?
What planet do you live on?
The arabs can NOT move in east Jerusalem u telling me they are moving to the west What a LIE
Evacuations have already led to clashes elsewhere. The mayor of Jerusalem should return the evicted families in Sheikh Jarrah to their homes. Then this reasoning might start to make sense. As it stands, it just confirms what everyone knows. Barkat is not the mayor of Jerusalem, he is the mayor of the settlers in Jerusalem.
The place was built w/o a permit. I do not understand complains from either side. What has the settler issue got to do with it ?
How is it in a democratic world people can't buy a property and build there just because they are Jews? Arabs can freely buy the property in Manhattan, but Jews can't in Jerusalem just because it is an Arab neighborohood?.
Boruch, if you had read the article, you will have noticed that there was no permit for the building. Would you permit Palestinians to build in West Jerusalem without permits? Isn't the rule of law supposed to apply to everyone or do words written in a book over 2,000 years ago bestow that right?
thats right ignore the fact that arabs cant buy land in israel and cant build anywhere let alone in jerusalem, and focus on the fact that Israelis cannot build in palestinian territory. (duh see what happens if you go to washington DC and try and claim land, evict tenants and build a jewish only building)
... to deal summarily with the settlers if they riot... fear of the settlers is the worst possible reason for accepting illegal and unjust situations... is the rule of the fist to prevail in Jerusalem, the supposedly Holy City for three religions?...
As Usaul the Israeli court system proves that Israeli laws apply to all. The building should given to the Palestinians for the price paid to build it, and be done with it. I don't know why these guys wanted to build there anyway.
We voted for Barkat in order to evoid having a fanatic religious mayor and what we got is is a fanatic ultra natiolalist one. can't all those fanatics understand that what we need in a country and state to live in not just to die for. I survived the "die for " in several opportunities since back in the forties, i wish now for my grand children something better than a theocratic extreme nationalist home to die for.
Adam-do you really think they will be happy with the west bank, etc?-do you really think they wont fight to take tel aviv, haifa, every square inch of Israel?-cmon now-you should know better by now.
Your argument needs some justification. What is the evidence to support your claim?
...because it's a predominantly Black neighborhood. That would leave him in absolute control of the country -- much as today. I doubt that anyone will notice the difference.
you dont seriously mean what you say. Even more than that you sure do not favor Arabs buying houses in Jewish communities in the Galilee. You sure do not accept Arabs demanding the houses they lost in West Jerusalem. The whole zionist idea is not to end in a binational state, but precisely divide the territory.
DC is part of the internationally recognised sovereign territory of the USA, the people living there are US citizens with full rights including the right to vote. You have clearly never been to east jerusalem.
...because it's a predominantly Black neighborhood. That would leave him in absolute control of the country -- much as today. I doubt that anyone will notice the difference.
and I believe in the tooth fairy too,