Anchor: The international community is outraged. Israeli police used force to evict two large Palestinian families from an East Jerusalem neighborhood. Security forces were following court orders – still the situation got very tense. Tempers flared and scuffles broke out. The UN spokesman for Palestinian refugees echoed the global condemnation: . Chris Gunness: What we see here lies just strewn on the streets of Jerusalem. This is what occupation is actually about. That's what's going on here, now, in Jerusalem. And that is why we say, "Can the world please wake up and realize what is happening in the holy city?" - Because it is completely unacceptable.
Anchor: Well, the Israeli government had inquired about all of this until now. Israeli Government Spokesman Mark Regev joins us now, live from Jerusalem, with the government's reaction. There is widespread international condemnation of Israel for these evictions. UN envoy to the Middle East has called Israel's actions "totally unacceptable". What is your response?
Mark Regev: Well, I think a lot of the criticism is simply not fair. You had a legal dispute between two private parties. The Israeli government was not involved over who had title to a particular property there in East Jerusalem. And it went up the Israeli court system all the way to our Supreme Court, with both groups, both sides, putting all their documents, all their claims in front of the court.
As you know, the Israeli court system is independent and professional. Many times it rules in favor of the Palestinian side, if that's where it thinks justice lies. In this case it ruled in favor of the Jewish side.
The timing of this event was because the court order was implemented. And I think anyone who lives in a democracy knows that rule of law means that the court's decision must be upheld. Does anyone really think that the Israeli government can overrule its own Supreme Court and pass some sort of racist law that forbids Jews from buying apartments or property in Jerusalem?
Anchor: Mark Regev, would you accept that the scenes that played out for the world to see are not conducive to peace?
Mark Regev: I think peace, and I have heard my Prime Minister Netanyahu say this, peace has to include a situation where Jews in Jerusalem can live in Arab neighborhoods and Arabs in Jerusalem can live in Jewish neighborhoods. Isn't that what peace and coexistence is all about? The whole idea that East Jerusalem has to be free of Jews, surely that is something that no one in the international community can accept.
Anchor: The US State Department has already come out and said that these actions that took place clearly violate Israel's obligation under the US backed road map for peace. Would you accept that? Would you accept that they have repeatedly asked Israel not to carry out these evictions and not to move Jewish families into the area? - Because it undermines any kind of atmosphere for any kind of fruitful negotiations.
Mark Regev: Listen, I of course have empathy for people who are being evicted from houses that the court says they have to leave. I think in any situation like that you have empathy for people who have to leave the house. But of course there is rule of law. And in America, in Europe, in all democratic countries we know that the courts look at the evidence, they hear from both sides and they make a distinction, they make a decision. And that decision has to be upheld by the police, by the executive branch. In this case the court objectively heard all the evidence. Now people are tying to play politics here, but this isn't politics. This is rule of law.
Anchor: So you deny that there is a systematic policy in place, whether or not it is acknowledged as a policy. But there are systematic actions taking place to move Jewish families into East Jerusalem and to move Palestinians out. Would you deny that?
Mark Regev: There is no such government policy. On the contrary, here you have a situation where private people bought private property. And that is what it is. The court dealt with a land dispute between two private groups of people.
But let me make something clear here. Since Israel united the city in 1967, for the first time in the history of that city all great religious groups, whether it is the Christian community, the Jewish community or the Muslim community, have full freedom of religion, freedom of worship. Only under Israeli rule have democratic rights been maintained and guaranteed for all.
And I would ask those Arab residents who go the Israeli Supreme Court and go against these sorts of rulings, where else in the Arab world do you have a situation where the courts are free and independent and truly professional as they are in Israel?
Anchor: Well, a state has a duty of care to its citizens. So what happens now to those residents that are sleeping on the streets?
Mark Regev: Well to be fair, and I understand and have empathy for them, but this was no surprise. I mean, this has gone through all the courts in Israel up to the Supreme Court, and they knew that this court order had come. They were asked to leave voluntarily because the courts had decided it was not their property. They did not have the right to be there, and yet they chose this political statement. Really, they should have known this was coming and made the correct preparations.
Anchor: All right Mark Regev, Israeli Government Spokesman, joining us live at the I Desk, thanks for your time.
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