More Demolitions Planned in East Jerusalem's Issawiyah

The Jerusalem municipality will begin destroying 19 building in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya as of Sunday, 1 August. The neighborhood has been target of a number of land and home demolitions over the past year, but the Municipality’s move to carry out 19 home destructions is unprecedented for the community.

Attorney Sami Ersheid, who represents the 19 original owners of the buildings, said that each structure is home to “at least three or four families – children of the original owners – who make up more than 60 families altogether,” reported the Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post.

“We’ve asked for a one-year delay in order to advance an alternative plan for the neighborhood,” Ersheid said.

Earlier this month Israeli authorities demolished 2 residential structures that were still under construction, including a house intended to serve as a home for 8 people, and a house intended to serve as a home for 6 people, including a disabled child of 13 years. On the same day the municipality also destroyed a shed that a Palestinian family had used as a rest room.

Immediately following the demolitions, and a wave of others in East Jerusalem neighborhoods, U.S. State Department Spokesman Phillip Crowley said, "It is exactly the kind of unilateral action that undermines trust. It is the very kind of action that poses a potential obstacle to direct negotiations."

In May of this year Israeli forces, border police and intelligence officers raided Issawiya in the early hours of the morning and imposed a curfew on the village. Residents were questioned and detained on both 24 and 25 May as part of a “special tax evasion operation" being conducted by Israel’s Tax Authority.

The municipality has declined to comment on the decision to move forward with demolition plans for 19 buildings they consider illegal structures.

“In fact, there was already an alternative plan that was broached for the area, which would have solved the legal issues there and prevented the buildings from being demolished,” Attorney Ersheid said. “It was considered by a number of authorities, including the Interior Ministry, but in the end, the plan was not accepted.

“The Municipality of Jerusalem works to uphold the rule of law throughout Jerusalem, and when a court decides that an illegal structure in the city must be demolished, the owner of the structure should expect the implementation of the rule of law,” said Stephen Miller, a spokesman for Mayor Nir Barkat, on the general issue of demolitions in the Jerusalem.

“The Municipality of Jerusalem implements structural demolitions throughout the city, in cooperation with the Israel Police and in coordination with the relevant government personnel. For security concerns, no comment is made on the process of specific structural demolitions until after they are completed,” he said.

Meanwhile residents of Issawiya will wait in fear for the start of impending demolitions, and home destruction.

AICvideo of the demolitions in Issawiya may be seen here

Land belonging to Issawiya residents was destroyed by Israel last week, an AICvideo about which may be seen here