Prosecutions, violations and taxes... nearly "one million shekels" against the director of the Wadi Hilweh Information Center
The occupation institutions continue to pursue the director of the Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem, Jawad Siam, by filing various lawsuits against him, and financial claims under the pretext of "accumulated debt" on him, and no sooner does one file close than another is opened.
At the end of last August, Siam received a claim from the lawyer of the "Municipality/Arnona Department", demanding that he pay 356 thousand shekels on 4 properties in the town of Silwan, claiming that they had accumulated on him since 2016.
In this regard, Jawad Siam, the director of the Information Center, explained that he was surprised at the end of last month by a claim from the municipality's lawyer, demanding that he pay "Arnona tax" in the amount of 356 thousand shekels on 4 properties, two residential properties and two commercial properties, explaining that he went to the municipality to examine the matter and those four properties, but his request was not dealt with or responded to, so he went a second time with the lawyer to examine the claim and the properties, and the municipality refused to deal with them, and the amount was demanded to be paid before examining the case.
Siam added: "I do not own 4 properties in Silwan, and the municipality refuses to specify the location of the properties and their numbers, while it is satisfied with mentioning "Wadi Hilweh" in some papers, and "Maalot Ma'ir David - what the Wadi Hilweh neighborhood is called in other papers."
Siam explained that he requested the presence of an inspector from the municipality/Arnona Department to find out the properties that the lawsuit refers to, but his request was rejected. Siam said: "What is striking about the matter is that the municipality claims that I, my family members, and even the neighbors refuse to receive the lawsuit or the summons from the municipality. The municipality's lawyer stated that an employee came to my house last May, and that one of the family members "whose name was mentioned in the lawsuit" refused to receive the lawsuit and sign the papers." He pointed out that the person whose name was mentioned as refusing to receive the lawsuit left the country 10 years ago, asking: "How does the municipality claim that?"
Siam, the director of the information center, indicated that he received another demand last August from the "Procedures and Collections" Department in the municipality department, issued in an absentia decision, obligating him to pay an amount of 24 thousand shekels "Arnona tax" for the center, under the pretext that it is a commercial use.
During the past months, several lawsuits were filed against Siam by the "Municipality/Arnona" amounting to 36 thousand shekels, regarding the use of properties - two houses and a warehouse - in Silwan, without specifying those properties and their location.
Siam said: "In recent years, the Jerusalemite citizen has been surprised by exorbitant demands and fines imposed on him, which double after the "specified period" for paying the amount, as these demands appear when he visits official departments to conduct special transactions, or when legal procedures are imposed due to the accumulation of debts on him. The government agencies, especially the "police and the municipality" do not send the fines in a legal and clear manner."
Siam pointed out that there are 21 thousand shekels in “municipality violations” and 4 thousand shekels for the police, and among the violations is parking his vehicle in front of his house.
For many years, Siam has been suffering from the imposition of a rent amount for “settlers” for using a property after it was seized by settlers, and for the Custodian of Absentee Property, and for the municipality “Arnona Department”, and for the police, where the demands amounted to nearly one million shekels.
In early July, the occupation municipal court issued a decision to demolish the headquarters of the Wadi Hilweh Information Center in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the pretext of “unlicensed construction.” The decision gives the director of the center, Jawad Siam, a year from the day it was issued to implement it, in addition to imposing a fine of 20 thousand shekels on him. If he does not implement the decision within the specified period, the municipality will carry out the demolition, and will impose a “demolition fee” for the municipality and the accompanying forces.
Siam said that the successive lawsuits he received in recent months from the municipality in particular, come to serve and complete the settlers' goals in an attempt to seize the family's property in Silwan. When the amounts of the Arnona tax accumulate, they are collected through several procedures, including seizing the properties, seizing bank accounts, and preventing travel.
Siam added: "The municipality/Arnona department talks about my ownership of 7 properties in Silwan, without accurately identifying these properties and claims that some of them are commercial "and the Arnona is doubled."
