A-G orders evacuation of Beit Yehonatan in Silwan ASAP

Yehuda Weinstein: "rule of law forces us to implement the order"; says it is important in face of "selective enforcement claims."

Beit Yehonatan (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Beit Yehonatan
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
In a letter sent Wednesday to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, the city's attorney, and the city's district police commander, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ordered that Beit Yehonatan in Jerusalem be evacuated as soon as possible.
Weinstein stressed that the order would be performed shortly, once the municipality has coordinated the plan with police.
RELATED:Aharanovitch on Silwan: Kids can't receive immunityBeit Yehonatan residents take fight to High Court
The attorney general also requested that the legality of other buildings in the area be checked.
"This is important for the sake of maintaining justice, and in the face of claims that there has been selective enforcement [in evacuations]," Weinstein said.
The letter added that, "After further discussions were held in his office, and he reconsidered the matter, the Attorney General maintains the opinion that the principle of the rule of law forces us to implement the order to evacuate and seal Beit Yehonatan soon."
The attorney general noted that the order deals only with sealing off the building, a move that could change "if a program is approved that will allow the existence of the building, and then residents could return to live there."