They should be thankful

It is an excuse to take the land. All of reasoning behind it, is just a fraud. By the way, that is also true in much of the rest of the world as well, including the USA.

Like most hastily built construction without permits. and not conforming to code, but I'm sure the Arabs and Palestinian cultists will heap blame on Israel when catastrophe occurs.

Oh! Just kidding. I take it you like Barkat and what he's doing? That's cool. But you must understand that, considering your first two paragraphs, YOUR support of the good mayor makes his efforts even more suspect than they already are. I mean after all, your stereotypical view and disdain can only suggest that you have absolutely no concern for the benefit of these loathesome people you describe. As a matter of fact, given your expressed view, and barely supressed animosity, it's much more likely that you'd rather they not be there at all. So it stands to reason, that if YOU are touting the mayor and his proposal, which he "claims" will benefit these people, then there's a very good chance it's an underhanded scheme with a hidden agenda, of which you're aware, that's aimed at their ultimate removal.

The dictum of the Arabs was/is never sell a a house to a Jew. I canot get it now butit is a known FACT that A Muslim is not allowed to sell property to a Jew. We have had this for quite a few years ago in fact. There were two ladies in fact composed a rhymed version of it to that effect. Go to the period of the 2nd Lebanon war and you will probably find it in the archives. I have it in my documents and can produce it anytime you wish.It was to the point with some humor attached to it.But nevertheless TRUE.Should any Arab sell a house to a Jewsfaces torture or worse DEATH.

"The Israeli left does not have an agenda. It has Arabs. The more hallucinatory the Arab spokesman, the more extreme he is and the more he hates Jews, the greater the enthusiasm with which leftists will adopt his words" Only in an Israeli newspaper could these words be written. They seem to written to incite hate against the left and the Palestinians.

# 43 Sir Jeremy Beechham. "How many permits have been granted for new housing in Jerusalem for Israeli Arabs" ? etc.etc. Many more than was granted to Jews or Israelis in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia,Neo Nazi State.Using the same terminology; (Judenrine; Free of Jews) Get off your pedestal & roam freely anywhere in Israel.The Arabs live in beautiful houses,nay,many in what can be termed nothing less than palaces. And these are the simple people. Unbelievable but true. Don't act smugly !

homeowners who dont pay the mortgage or rent. he appears to be a nit wit ?

I have enough Israeli friends to know that the mode of thought that pervades this article is reasonably widespread in Israel. The arab population is treated as an alien aberration, an infection in an otherwise clean society. The opening salvo leaves us in no doubt as to the message; the racism may become more subtle throughout but it is ever-present. At the very least the Arab population is a current reality, as to whether a separate state will be formed or not in the future, the treatment of these people will be a constant stain on Israeli society. Interestingly, for me at least, it was the Holocaust that underscored to us the fundamental incompatibility of racism and democracy, however weak and veiled it is. You are not part of the functioning international community - you are roundly rejected, along with Burma, Iran, former Iraq and the like. You are tolerated out of fear. When you come to understand that an arab life is worth just as much as that of a jew, you will be accepted.

How dare decent people oppose ruthless ones!

The Jews from Yemen were welcomed by the Pal Silwanites during the 1930s. They established homes there until prior to the War of Independence, when they were obliged to leave, and were compensated by abandoned Pal prperties in West Jerusalem.

Silwan was originally settled by Jews from Yemen. In the Arab Riots of 1936-39, instigated by the Grand Mufti, the Jews were ethnically cleansed from Silwan. Many of the houses still have mezuzah marks. It is not certain as to whether the present Arab inhabitants are the direct descendants of the actual ethnic cleansers or not. It is certain however,that the newer homes were built without owning the land that they are on and for which permits could never be issued. There is illegal Arab construction on land zoned for city parks! When the sun goes down in Jerusalem, and the city building inspectors go home, ,the Arab construction crews come out.

Nice try, but I never answered your questions. I simply suggested, based on demographic statistics, that the suggestions of a policy of denying housing to Arabs by the State of Israel is ridiculous. I definitely do NOT think that Israel is an apartheid. I've met too many Arabs that are fairly integrated into Israeli society to think that Israel is an apartheid state.

Just how many permits have been granted for new housing in Jerusalem for Israeli Arabs, and how many for Jews, since 1967?

Your opinion to whom Jerusalem belongs has no more value then opinion of Bin Laden or janitor Carlo. Every place on earth belongs to the entity which has control over that place: thus Falklands belong to UK and not to Argentina, island of Taiwan belongs to the "Republic of China" and Jerusalem belongs to Israel. Israel is responsible for the welfare of people, for the safety of buildings and new constructions, for the cleaning of streets, etc. Rights and responsibilities come together, it is impossible to have one without other. Jerusalem belongs to Israel either you like it or not.

answering my question on apartheid. What about the other ones?

so, that justifies demolishing people's homes and making them homeless?

for 1400 years islam has been colonialising and converting innocents in 56 countries ! time you took some history lessons before posting tripe !

If Silwan is, in fact, "a wild and violent village," then why would anyone want to live there. Why would anyone want to demolish the homes of those supposingly "wild and violent" people? Can any one see the consequences? But first and foremost, why go there? Why live there? and Why provoke those "wild and violent" people who would, by inference, have a strong inclination towards revenge.

(1) It is impossible for Arabs to get permits to build in East Jerusalem. Hence the so-called "illegal" construction. (2) Said construction may be illegal under Israeli law but the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem is itself illegal under international law. Hence Israeli law does not apply in East Jerusalem.

I have always been ambivalent when Israel has been described as a Colonial Settler States but in this instance, the mentality and reasoning is colonial in the most classic sense of the term. By the way, why is it necessary to settle and gentrify Silwan, an entirely Arab neighborhood with Jewish religious fanatics? Other than ideology or the potential to profit, which in Israel often go hand in hand, there is no reason and therefore, an entirely unnecessary provocation.

for palestine independence to take place israel has to concede the territory allocated to it by the san remo convention 1920 ! this includes what is now called jordan !

what would be the reaction if, after the Palestinians achieve independance, they start destroying the houses that were built without permits in the 'settlements'? (after all, Israel does not have any legal grounds to issue permits for someone to build outside of Israel) What would be the reaction if, after the Palestinians achieve independance, they start charging 'rent' on any house that an Israeli can prove to have legal ownership to, if anyone happened to be outside the borders on the day independance was declared? What would be the reaction if, after the Palestinians achieve independance, they declare any house or land that is vacant the property of the state, then make it almost impossible for an Israeli citizen of Palestine to use them?

Get off your high horse Ronen and look at the absolute facts: How many homes for Jews have been approved by the Palestinian Authority since it was created? Answer = zero So who are the racists? Despite the fact that Jews lived in Hebron for thousands of years, the Palestinians massacred 79 of them and chased them out of Hebron. This is known as ethnic cleansing. When the Jews came back to their legal homes after 1967, you said it was land theft. That, of course, is simply a lie since it was the Palestinians who stole the Jewish homes in Hebron. Now, of course, you want the Jewish residents of Hebron forcibly removed from their legal homes. That, of course, is apartheid.

Mr. Eldad is supporting the Racist and Unjust policy of the Rights. It is unjust to demolish the houses of ppls. without proper compensations He knows very well that it is imposible for these very poor ppl. to get the resource to build new homes. It is indirect expulsion or transfere.

Mr. Eldad is supporting the Racist and Unjust policy of the Rights. It is unjust to demolish the houses of ppls. without proper compensations He knows very well that it is imposible for these very poor ppl. to get the resource to build new homes. It is indirect expulsion or transfere.

They sided vith violent communist regimes turning blind eye to the suffering of ordinary people and today they sympatize with others preaching violence to achive their expansionists goals. I'm not surprised to read they team up with them and organize violent demonstrations in Jerusalem,West Bank and some European cities.

They'll oust a whole Palestinian family from their house without caring one minute about the disastrous image they bring upon Israel. They're a tiny minority and yet they act as if they owned the country.

When a house is demolished by Israel, it is the inhabitant of the house who has to foot the bill for the demolition. It's just like having your car towed away if you've parked illegally. Only your car you get back if you pay for it.

You ask some good questions, so please enlighten us by providing the answers. One statistic that I know: The Jewish population of Israel at the time the country declared independence in 1948 was 600,000. Today the Jewish population is around 6,000,000, a factor of ten increase. The total Arab population west of the Jordan river after the 1948 war of independence constituted about 40% of the total population (so we have 60% Jews and 40% Arabs west of the Jordan river). Given that the Jewish population increased by a factor of ten, the Arab population has increased by a factor of ten as well. As far as I know, the vast majority of them live in some form of housing. So, if there was any kind of formal policy to prevent Arabs from acquiring housing in territory controlled by the State of Israel, it was/is obviously not very extensive or effective.

"The left-wings acts (and talk)before it thinks" There is about 20 posts here that proving the author right.

This article is typical of how out of touch israeel is with world opinion. In Israel there is no debate. Settlement is mainstream. dispossession is standard. The denial of rights to the palestinians is as natural as sunlight. and you wonder why Israel is a pariah. And expect us to take the writer seriously.

Settlers are preventing peace by refusing to let the government make any concessions that would enable Israelis to get peace at last. They are also responsible for the shameful way in which Joe Biden has been treaited, as if settler lobbies wanted to alienate Israel's biggest ally in the world.

Mr. Eldad, how many settlers houses, that were built without permits, were demolished lately? The answer: not many. There's also the issue of routinely denying Arabs permits to build houses whereas Israeli Jews are routinely granted permission, but we already know that. "Silwan is a wild and violent village"? Compared to what? Israeli settlers in Hebron who routinely stone Arabs? Spare me!

"His first movie, Fitna, is available online free. Highly recommended for those who find it hard to read books on the subject." So if you're an adult who hasn't learnt to read yet, Gert Wilders is your man! Fair enough.

the tide is turning and NOT in the favor of Muslims. They make terrible neighbors. Now, everyone sees it and agrees.

critical of Islam. His first movie, Fitna, is available online free. Highly recommended for those who find it hard to read books on the subject.

How can you talk about not feeling welcomed in Silwan? the looks are not friendly? well, personally i feel more welcome there than in many places in Israel.

The Israeli government is not run according to Jewish law. I am not sure how helpful it is to equate Israel to Judaism. And yes, you do need to open your eyes a little. I don't fear Islam. But I fear those that perpetrate terror in the name of Islam.

Tell me is there a moral difference between the 'blame the Jews' of the '30's and your automatic 'blame the settlers' of today? Facts have no place in your reasoning, that is at least clear.

There was no agenda except to collect tax money and spend it yourself welfare. Silwan as a whole is not benefiting from the developments you mention, which is restricted to Wadi Hilwah and controlled by and for the welfare of settlers. N.Barakat is a tool. Solution !!!, NO thanks we can mange without you. You and N. Barakat leave Silwan and come back as guests. Then, I promise welcoming you in my house for a nice Silwani dinner.

Settlers is the issue, twisting the facts will not change anything , like this disparate old ages propagandist defense of extreme wing policies. N. Barakt had an agenda expelling all Jerusalemites, in Beit Haniana, Sh. Jerah.etc.. But, please ask him how it is ?easy? to get a building permit in E. Jerusalem. How many houses were destroyed even with a permit?. Using law, let Barakat follow court orders and of houses built by settlers in Silwan and elsewhere. Silwan the first to welcome Yamini Jews in Palestine, Jewish and Arabs had a good time living together before people like you start imposing the extreme agenda. -. Silwan was occupied in 1967 and still defined by international laws as such. Since then People like Yourself (the Settlers) did not came to Silwan with flowers, you did came to expel Silwanis and live in their places, and we do have Ottoman documents of ownership. ........

The images of East Jerusalem settlers paying homage to Baruch Goldstein were seen the world over and brought shame on Israel. These people should not be allowed to expel entire Palestinian families from their homes and give such an atrocious image of Israel abroad. The State should make sure they cannot harm Israel by their stupid actions.

It's come full circle. The Zionists who fought the British Empire have become the British Empire. It's the same, 'We know what's best for you little natives, and if you object it just shows how uncivilised you are and how right it is that we much more civilised people rule you.'

The wildness of Silwan is on the faces of the residents of Beit Yonatan, not of the Arab residents of Silwan. Mr. Eldad will be shocked to hear that Jews who are not settlers have visited Silwan and not as part of the tour groups of either side of the left/right divide. Beit Yonatan's residents circulate in cars with windows shut tight, their drivers looking straight ahead. They have an interest in doing this because the roads are narrow and have never been maintained. The garbage is never collected so it has to be burned. When people have citizenship and equal rights, you can talk in terms of legal or illegal. The ONLY houses that have so far been demolished in Silwan are the houses of Arab residents. Jewish citizens of Israel have plenty of room to build in West Jerusalem, capital of their national home. PS Where are the residents of the 22 houses to be demolished to live while building the new houses they have to pay for? Not in tents by any chance, à la Sheikh Jarrah.

and taking their land, I mean really, what do theses people want?

Including a new city in the West Bank for Arabs. Thanks for proving the author's point.

When I am in West Jerusalem,well,in the Old City, to begin with, I am actually shoacked to see a tunnel running right through the middle. In fact, after a hiatus of twenty years, I am not sure I like this idea of Tzahal Square, where there use to be a more or less wide open space. Then I realized, of course, if you are staying in a posh hotel, everything is geared for your shopping needs, your dollars or whatever currency you choose to spend. So to me, a lot of the development is controversial. I finally found my way around to the Dung gate, and it is very nice what they have done to the Jewish quarter. Personally, I love Ben Yehuda Street, and its ofshoots. I like Mahane market. So the MAYOR WANTS TO DEVELOP the profile of East Jerusalem. It would be nice if they could actually recreate the King's garden as it was in the Song of Songs, an orchard, really. With green and streams, so one could really DREAM, and not just spend one's dollars or shekels on trinkets. An intelligent plan.

This is something I've never understood. If Silwan is a wild and unfriendly place, why do we want it as part of Israel? Let it belong to Arab East Jerusalem, the capital of a Palestinian state. Granted, it will probably be decades before such an agreement is reached, if ever. But they seem willing to wait.

Not enough. The process is slow but it is happening. Soon the Arabs will be hamstrung and we will be victorious. Enjoy the process Ronen!

Why should there be approval for non-Jews. Jewish homes, in a city built by Jews, from which Jews were expelled (the lucky one's that weren't killed), are under-represented. There was a Jewish quarter and this is correcting a historic injustice which benefited the Arabs wand their predecessors who live and lived in Jerusalem. Have a look around the world Ronen. Correcting historic injustice is something that has been happening increasingly. Indeed, that is the main point of Palestinians, isn't it?

Ok so the Jewish faith permits the state to claim occupied territory theirs, after displacing families in West Jerusalem to the East--away from the Jews. They have the audacity to call these 'camps' as being without a permit and thus illegal. This, the religion permits. And we're supposed to fear Islam?

... it was a peaceful place until the settlers began coveting and planning how they could take it over... Barkat has been hoodwinked into acting as 'settler protector'...

You don't receive a permit if you don't apply for one. You can't apply for a permit if you don't register the land. You can't register land if you don't own it. If you do own land and your leaders forbid you from dealing with Israeli authorities in order to register it, blame the leaders. Under the British and Ottomans land was not registered by Arabs because they couldn't verify ownership or to avoid taxes and military service. It has nothing to do with apartheid and everything to do with the law, the same laws that apply everywhere in the world.

How many homes for Non-Jewish residents were approved in East Jerusalem in the last 42 years? West Bank? Israel in the last 62 years? How much land of non-Jewish owners was expropriated in East Jerusalem in the last 42 years? West Bank? Israel in the last 62 years? How much land of Jewish owners? Is there a pattern here?

Mindless cut and paste, of course, is bad. So enlighten us. Is it true that Arabs in Jerusalem have a much more difficult time getting permits to build than Jews do or does the Israeli bureaucracy evicerate everyone without regard to race, creed, color or place of national origin? On what grounds are Jewish settlers in the West Bank issued permits? Are these same grounds available for Arabs in Jerusalem? The cost of building a new house is enormous. Most need a lifetime to accumulate that much money. Issuing a permit to build a new house is not fair compensation for demolishing an old one. If the old house is condemned, why not pay just compensaion? No doubt objections to house demolitions are used for their symbolic value, and people manipulate those symbols in accordance with their agendas. The demolitions may be part of a laudable overall plan, but Eldad should do a better job of exploring these questions before accusing anyone else of knee jerk reactions.