Demolition of 2 illegal e. J'lem homes prompts Arab rioting

Firebomb and stones hurled at police overseeing court-ordered demolitions.

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
silwan house demolition 248.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
silwan house demolition 248.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Jerusalem Municipality wrecking crews demolished two illegally built Arab homes in east Jerusalem on Wednesday, prompting skirmishes in the area throughout the afternoon, police said. The court-ordered demolition in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, which was carried out under heavy police guard, quickly erupted into violence after dozens of local residents pelted police with stones and even hurled a firebomb at them, said Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby. Police responded by firing stun grenades, and arresting 11 suspects for creating a disturbance and assaulting police. Five policemen were lightly injured during the two-hour altercation, and a police horse was stabbed. Later, some of the residents barricaded themselves in one of the homes slated to be torn down, but eventually agreed to leave the building, furniture in hand, after lengthy negotiations with police. The city said that the two homes, one of which was inhabited, were built in "green areas" where construction is forbidden, and that they were both razed by court-order after appeals against their demolition were turned down. Since the beginning of the year, the municipality has carried out 108 demolitions, including 78 in east Jerusalem and 30 in west Jerusalem, the city said in a statement. Palestinians and left-wing Israelis complain it is difficult for Arabs to obtain building permits in Jerusalem, forcing them to build illegally, while the municipality insists it is evenhanded in enforcing building codes in all parts of the city. The issue of Arab home demolitions is especially explosive in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as the capital of their future state. "The State of Israel is exploiting the world's interest in the US elections in order to carry out facts on the ground," said Yehudit Oppenheimer, the Director-General of Ir Amim, a far-left Israeli watchdog group that advocates Palestinian rights in the city. Two years ago, sidestepping a public uproar, Mayor Uri Lupolianski nixed a controversial city plan to demolish 90 illegally built Arab homes in the neighborhood, which has long been defined as a green area and set aside for a park.