Preventing the renovation of Khaled Al-Zeer’s cave in Silwan
The Israeli Magistrate court judge ordered on Sunday Khaled Al-Zeer to stop the renovation works in the cave where he and his family have been living in and which is located in the neighbourhood of Al-Abbasyeh in Silwan until the beginning of next month.
Al-Zeer told Wadi Hilweh Information Center that the so-called “Antiquities Authority” lately filed a claim that he is doing renovation works and changing the landmarks of the cave and the file had been transferred to the court which decided to stop all works until the beginning of next month so that officials from the Antiquities Authority can check the matter who are also claiming that there are antiques in the land and inside the cave.
Al-Zeer added: “During the hearing, I confirmed to the judge that I am living in a cave on my family’s land and that I haven’t done any renovation works, and all I did was renovating the cave from the inside after rocks and soil started falling on my family members and I only did tiling for the ceilings and floors. “
Al-Zeer pointed out that he has been staying in the cave after the bulldozers of Nature and Parks Authority demolished the residential rooms on the family’s land on August 20th, 2012. He also noted that he lives in the cave with his wife and five children where the oldest is 9 years old and the youngest is 6 months.