Barkat Under Fire for Arab Building Policy

Gil Ronen J'lem Mayor 'Brings Catastrophe'

The Jerusalem Mayor's decision to retroactively legalize 95% of illegal Arab construction in the Shiloach (Silwan) neighborhood will lead to a catastrophe, land activist Aryeh King said Wednesday. King said the decision is a surrender that gives a prize to criminals.
On Tuesday, Mayor Nir Barkat told the Knesset's Interior Committee about his plan for solving the construction dispute in Shiloach, where there are about 200 illegally-built Arab buildings and one illegally-constructed building owned by Jews – Beit Yehonatan. Barkat plans to legalize 95% of the structures but insist that they be no higher than four stories. Anything over that will be “shaved” off the building.

In this way, Barkat will be legalizing the Jewish-owned Beit Yehonatan (except for its topmost, fifth floor), and avoiding a large scale confrontation with Silwan's Arab residents, at a time when such a confrontation will probably lead to a political storm and international censure.

King said, however, that the legalization of Beit Yehonatan is not worth the price that the city will have to pay under the mayor's proposed deal. “Regretfully, the mayor is continuing a policy that is disconnected from the right frame of mind in dealing with the Arabs of the city. Instead of fighting them he is giving them his entire hand. This is a discriminatory policy that encourages them to continue building illegally. Meanwhile, as regards Jews, demolition orders are issued even against synagogues.”