Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who has made the evacuation of the disputed Beit Yonatan dependent on the demolition of illegal Arab buildings in east Jerusalem, is forging ahead with his plan.

Sources in Jerusalem City Council said that Barkat is attempting to apply pressure on everyone involved in the affair, in order to gain support for his plan raze Arab houses in east Jerusalem. They added that city officials will start distributing demolition orders to Arab homes in the coming days, at the same time as posting the evacuation order on the walls of Beit Yonatan.

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Beit Yonatan, which houses Jewish families in the heart of east Jerusalem's mostly Arab Silwan neighborhood and was constructed without a building permit, is slated for evacuation but the court order has yet to be applied.

Meanwhile, MK Eli Yishai (Shas) continues in his attempts to retroactively obtain building permits for the house.

Associates of Barkat said that the mayor was feeling wounded by the affair, especially by the angry letter sent to him by State Prosecutor Moshe Lador.

"Barkat is trying to provoke a storm," one source said, adding, "He hopes to go back to Lador and say, 'see what you've done?'."

'Mayor playihg with fire'

Barkat's decision was met by harsh reactions ont he part of the opposition.

"The mayor is playing with fire," said council member Dr. Meir Margalit (Meretz) to Ynet.





Beit Yonatan, center of controversy (Photo: Noam Moskovitz)

"This is really raising the stakes in east Jerusalem. It's such a sensitive area, and this move is a slap in the face of efforts by the international community to bring (PA President) Mahmoud Abbas back to the negotiating table," he said, adding that it was also a stab in the back for Silwan residents who have cooperated with Barkat during the year in order to reach an agreement over the issue of illegal building.

Margalit added that the state prosecutor had only ordered Beit Yonatan to be evacuated and sealed. He had not ordered the demolition of Silwan houses. Barkat is planning to demolish these houses "only to satisfy the extreme Right in time for the next elections," he said.

Tibi: Yishai breaking international law

Meanwhile, the Knesset Internal Affairs Committee convened to discuss the issue of illegal construction in the Arab sector.

MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) referred to the Beit Yonatan affair and strongly criticized Yishai's intervention.

"He has skirted a significant demolition order and broken international law," he said.

Turning his attention to building without permit in the Arab sector, Tibi blamed the State.

"Thousands of homes are constructed without authorization because no building permits are issued," he said.

Meanwhile, MK Talab El-Sana (United Arab List-Ta'al) said that the lack of a master plan for construction in the Arab sector constitutes discrimination.

"You can't just demolish without issuing any permits. The public simply cannot cope with that," he said.

Roi Mandel also contributed to this report