By ETGAR LEFKOVITSgaydamak aj 224.88(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Jerusalem mayoral candidate Arkadi Gaydamak would stop all demolitions of illegal Arab homes in east Jerusalem as mayor, his spokesman said on Sunday.
The remarks follow a months-long campaign by Gaydamak to court the Arab vote ahead of Tuesday's municipal elections; he is polling far behind front-runners Nir Barkat and Meir Porush.
"Gaydamak is adamantly opposed to the destruction of illegal homes in east Jerusalem, and as mayor he would cancel all such demolition orders," spokesman Yossi Milstein said.
While the demolition of illegal homes is one of the most sensitive issues facing Arab Jerusalemites, it remains unclear how many will vote for the tycoon in elections 95 percent of them typically boycott.
In contrast to Gaydamak, Jerusalem opposition leader Barkat and United Torah Judaism MK Porush stuck to traditional Israeli views on the subject on Sunday, proposing much-needed infrastructure plans for east Jerusalem, coupled with continued enforcement of the law against illegal building.
"Barkat's working plan includes taking responsibility for what is going on in east Jerusalem," said Barkat spokesman Evyatar Elad in a statement. "No more 'Wild East,' but improving the situation of residents by investing in infrastructure, planning and development on the one hand, and increasing law-enforcement and supervision on the other."
"We must take into consideration the sensitivities of the population and not ignite the country, but at the same time we must vigorously follow the planning and construction laws, and bring order to this issue in Jerusalem," a Porush spokesman said Sunday.
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 says it is evenhanded in enforcing building codes in all parts of the city.
In the most recent demolition, Jerusalem Municipality bulldozers razed two illegally built Arab home in east Jerusalem last week, prompting skirmishes in the area.
Since January 1, the municipality has carried out 108 demolitions - 78 in east Jerusalem and 30 in the west of the city.
Also on Sunday, Jerusalem police evicted a family of Arab squatters from a home in the capital's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, acting on a Supreme Court order naming a Jewish family as the legal owner of the house, police said. The incident ended without violence.
Seven activists from the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement who had been sleeping at the site were detained by police and expelled to the West Bank, Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. No charges were filed.
The Jerusalem District Court had previously ruled that the home was Jewish-owned, and did not belong to the al-Kurd family who had been living there.
Venturing into unchartered territory, Gaydamak has taken out advertisements in Arab newspapers, met with senior Muslim religious leaders and attended a Palestinian soccer game alongside the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad in an effort to get out the vote.
Last week, the PA once again warned Arab Jerusalemites not to vote in the municipal elections, and said that those who defied the boycott order would face punishment.
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