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Barkat, will have to wait?
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Netanyahu, calling the shots
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Gov't official: PM won't approve east J'lem demolitions

Attorney general to review request to carry out demolition orders against east Jerusalem homes, but government source says it's unlikely Netanyahu will approve demolition at sensitive time in ties with US

A day after Ynet reported that Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat requested to have the demolition of illegal structures in the east of the city renewed, a top government official estimated on Wednesday that such a move will not be carried out in the near future, due to concerns that this would lead to a new crisis with the United States similar to the one that broke out following reports of the Ramat Shlomo construction.

 

The request to resume the demolitions was passed on to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein for review. Until he makes his recommendation, the freeze on demolition orders issued against the Arab homes will remain in effect.

 

The source added that even in the event that Weinstein rules there is no legal reason not to enforce the orders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have a hard time approving the move at such a sensitive time in US-Israel ties, as Washington is still waiting for an Israeli response on a number of issues pertaining to east Jerusalem.

 

"It is very unlikely that the prime minister would allow, just days before a visit by American envoy George Mitchell, the execution of demolition orders against Palestinian houses," the source said.

 

"Granting such approval would be blatant defiance, no less than the technical approval that was given back then for the construction of 1,600 housing units," the source added.

 

The decision to freeze the execution of the demolition orders was made amid the crisis that broke out following US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, and continued with the demands US President Barack Obama made of Netanyahu during his recent visit to the White House.

 

Nonetheless, Netanyahu, who wishes to prove Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, is not willing to publicly claim responsibility for reports that he instructed the internal security minister, who oversees the police, to freeze the execution of the demolition orders. Therefore, statements made by officials from his office according to which, "No such order was given" come as no surprise.

 

The source added, "The demolition and evacuation of houses in Israel is done only with a court order and is applied equally to Jews and Arabs." However, he added, "In certain cases, the government can influence only the timing of the demolition, out of considerations of political sensitivity, maintaining public order, and the security of the State's citizens."

 

Ronen Medzini contributed to this report

 


פרסום ראשון: 04.14.10, 21:43
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