Channels

'More than just legal issue.' Beit Yonatan
Photo: AP

Beit Yonatan residents offer to seal off part of building

Jews living in east Jerusalem building offer to voluntarily seal off top floors if they are allowed to remain in bottom ones. 'Issue has become a national one,' they say

The Jewish residents of Beit Yonatan in east Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood sent a letter Thursday to State Prosecutor Moshe Lador in which they offered to voluntarily evacuate the top three floors of the building if they are permitted to continue living in the bottom ones.

 

"My clients have taken it upon themselves to seal off or even demolish the top floors that are not included in the municipality's plan," wrote Attorney Yechiel Gutman, who is representing the Jewish residents.

 

The letter also addressed the recent escalation of violence in east Jerusalem, saying "The events surrounding Beit Yonatan have gone beyond the legal realm and have become a national and international issue which raises fears of an uncontrollable flare-up."

 

Gutman has filed a petition asking the court to delay the implementation of a sealing order issued against the building.

 

Last month Lador ordered Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to implement the sealing order despite Interior Minister Eli Yishai's efforts to legalize the building.

 

Beit Yonatan is a seven-floor building that was erected without a permit in 2004 in the mostly Arab Silwan neighborhood. It currently houses Jewish families associated with the right-wing Ateret Cohanim movement.

 

Tensions surrounding the disputed structure boiled over three days ago, when a City of David security guard sustained light injuries to his leg when gunshots were fired at a jeep in which he was travelling near Beit Yonatan.

  

The security guard, who suffered shrapnel wounds, was transferred to Shaari Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem for medical treatment. The police suspect the incident was a planned terror attack. 

 


פרסום ראשון: 03.04.10, 21:15
 new comment
Warning:
This will delete your current comment