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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel to seal settler house in east Jerusalem |
| 2010-02-04 |
| JERUSALEM (AFP) - Municipal authorities will comply under protest with a court order to seal a Jewish settler's building in mainly Arab east Jerusalem, the mayor's office announced on Thursday. Rightwing Mayor Nir Barkat pointedly insisted this meant the municipality must tear down 200 homes -- virtually all Palestinian -- built without permits in the same Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan. and he has got a point. The decision to seal the Jewish house, built illegally in 2004, follows a harsh letter from State Prosecutor Moshe Lador who accused the mayor of deliberately delaying a court order. Sealing a house is seen as a first step towards possible demolition. In a letter to Lador, Barkat expressed his "most vigorous protest and harsh criticism of the plan," his office said. In 2007, Jewish settlers were ordered to evacuate the illegally built seven-storey building in the heart of the Palestinian neighbourhood but the eviction order has so far not been enforced. The municipality said it will move to seal the house "despite the severe repercussions this might give rise to." "It is important to note that carrying out this decision would result in the execution of over 200 demolition orders in the neighbourhood," the statement quoted Barkat as telling Lador. "Law enforcement activity in Jerusalem, especially in its east, could be highly explosive," Barkat wrote. The demolition of Palestinian homes in Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem has in the past led to clashes. highly explosive. Did he say that with a straight face? Many Palestinians in east Jerusalem risk having their homes razed because they were built or expanded without the necessary permits which are nearly impossible to obtain from the Israeli authorities. Several Western countries including the United States and Britain have urged Israel to refrain from such demolitions, to avoid further harming the already hobbled Middle East peace process. Israel captured east Jerusalem with the rest of the West Bank in the Six Day War of 1967 and annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. Israel views the whole city as its "eternal, indivisible" capital while the Palestinians are determined to make the city's eastern sector the capital of their promised state. |
| Posted by:Swanimote |