Silwan: Notices before submitting indictments and demolition orders against commercial and residential establishments
Municipality crews distributed on Friday “notices” before submitting indictments and demolition orders against commercial and residential establishments in Silwan; they also took pictures of the neighborhoods and streets of the village.
Wadi Hilweh Information center was informed that municipality crews supported by Israeli forces took pictures of establishments in the neighborhoods of Wadi Hilweh, Bi’er Ayoub, Ein Al-Lozeh, Al-Bustan and Abbasyeh. They hung demolition notices on several establishments and handed the owners of several properties documents warning them before submitting indictments against them for not executing the court’s orders.
Khaled Al-Zeer explained that the municipality’s inspector along with occupation forces raided his family’s building in the neighborhood of Abbasyeh in Silwan and hung and “administrative demolition notice” under the pretext of building without a permit; note that part of the building was built before 1967 and another part built 36 years ago. The building consists of 6 floors where 30 individuals live mostly children.
In the neighborhood of Bi’er Ayoub, municipality crews hung a demolition notice on a commercial establishment under the pretext of building without a permit.
Municipality crews also distributed “notices before submitting indictments for not executing the court’s order” to five families in the neighborhood of Al-Bustan as explained by Fakhri Abu Diab, member of the committee for the defense of Silwan’s property and lands. Among the families that received the notices were the families of Rabah Abu Rajab, Ahmad Abu Rajab and Nidal Awwad; all of the houses were built in the 1980’.
Abu Diab pointed out that verbal altercations broke out while storming into the house of the elderly “Um Mohammad Abu Rajab”.
Abu Diab warned from the danger of the orders and notices distributed on Friday especially in Al-Bustan neighborhood which had the names of the owners, their IDs and case numbers. Anyone who doesn’t follow up with the municipality, an indictment will submitted against him and put his house at risk of being demolished based on law (212) which enables the municipality to take action against the owner of the establishments and the establishment itself without classifying the reasons and without any objection.
Abu Diab also added that these decisions aim at imposing sanctions on the establishment’s owner such as fines or actual imprisonment; they also put the home at risk of being demolished.
Abu Diab added that the municipality crews distribute demolition notices on residential establishment in the neighborhood of Al-Bustan every week. It is possible that the case of Al-Bustan area will be opened once again as there is a plan to demolish it but was put on hold for several years.
