Slippery Slope

Mohammed Nabulsi, an East Jerusalem taxi driver, provided settler organizations with affadavits claiming that Palestinian owners of East Jerusalem homes were “absentees” residing in enemy countries, which the state used over and over to expropriate the properties and turn them over to settler organizations. In 1992, the Custodian of Absentee Properties, Aharon Shakarji, told the Knesset State Control Committee that he had received between 10 and 15 affidavits of this type from Nabulsi, on the basis of which a property owner was declared absentee, although people were living in the houses at the time. Despite criticism, the system of absentee declaration continues to be used.

The Jerusalem City Hall yesterday issued demolition orders for seven buildings in the neighborhood of Al Bustan in Silwan, in which the Mayor Nir Barkat plans to construct the King’s Garden project.

(Hebrew - Haaretz)

Jews used pepper spray on a group of Arabs, as well as punching and kicking them, in the Jewish quarter of the old city of Jerusalem (in East Jerusalem).

(Hebrew)

Four Palestinian youths, residents of Silwan in East Jerusalem, were arrested on suspicion that they attacked three Jews in Gai Ben Hinom in Jerusalem and lightly wounded them. Adv Mohammed Mahmoud who represents the suspects, said that policemen attacked some of the arrested youths who were hospitalized following the arrest. The police claims that the cops were attacked.

(Hebrew)

A Palestinian family was evicted from its home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina.  The father of the family of 11 was arrested.  Settlers entered the complex shortly after the eviction. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew - Haaretz)

Arieh King, director of the “Israel Land Fund”, published an online call for able-bodied Jewish volunteers to participate in the forceful eviction of Palestinians from land in East Jerusalem. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew - HaKol HaYehudi)

A Border Police unit entered a high-school in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud and arrested the vice principal in front of his students.  The vice principal, Salah Muhazian, was taken to Jerusalem police headquarters for questioning, where it was revealed by officers that one of the school’s students, arrested a few days earlier on suspicion of stone throwing, told them that Muhazian had hidden him and other stone-throwers in his office.  Muhazian denied the charge and was released after the interview. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew - Haaretz)

According to female leftist activists, their male associates in radical left organizations are too forgiving towards cases of sexual harassment during joint demonstrations with Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem for the sake of the struggle against the occupation. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew - Haaretz)

The Jerusalem district planning and construction committee approved a new visitors’ center at the City of David National Park in Silwan, East Jerusalem.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority razed a complex including a playground, community center and cafe in Silwan, East Jerusalem.