House takeover in Jerusalem approved by government
Palestine-Israel, Local, 5/26/1998

The Jewish settlers' takeover of a house in the Old City of Jerusalem cannot be seen as a separate incident, but it obtained tacit support from the Israeli government.

Palestinian officials believe the Israeli authorities have from the start turned a blind eye to the intention of those settlers of Ateiret Cohanim group to take over the house next to Herod's Gate. The group applied to the West Jerusalem municipality for a special permit to enter the house and do some renovation work. The municipality neither granted them the permit not alerted the police to the fact that they intend to enter the house in the area.

On Tuesday, when members of the Palestinian Legislative Council held a sit-in-strike inside the house and scuffled with settlers and Israeli policemen, it was obvious that the whole city was on the brink of an explosion. Israeli police forces attacked many of the PLC members using batons and rifle butts.

PLC Speaker Ahmed Qurei' (Abu Ala') decided to hold the PLC session in Jerusalem in response to the takeover of the house. He said the decision was taken in order to express the strongest Palestinian rejection of the Israeli settlement policy in the holy city. Qurei' said the message was clear to the whole world and that it is time for the whole international community to understand that "Palestinian patience cannot last forever."

"If our commitment to peace means the loss of our homes and property in Palestine and in Jerusalem in particular, then to hell with all the signed agreements," said Qurei' who himself was attacked by the Israeli police. He added that at least 12 members of the PLC were wounded and some of them even hospitalized after they were beaten up by the Israeli troops.

The disputed house that was taken over by the settlers was also the center of Palestinian-Israeli feud almost a year ago. Then it was the Israeli authorities, which decided to demolish the Burj Al Laqlaq welfare association that was set to care for disabled Palestinians. The irony in the case is that the association was shut down, the building was demolished and later it was taken over by the Jewish settlers who announced they wanted to start a new settlement in the area.

The settlers' takeover was unprecedented since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967. The settlers began setting the foundations for 11 prefabricated houses (caravans) on the land they claim ownership to in the area of Burj Al Laqlaq near Herod's Gate in the old city of Jerusalem. The takeover coincided with another move by some 30 Jewish extremists from Ateiret Cohanim who kicked a Palestinian family out of their house in Aqabat Saraya, claiming that the house belongs to Jews. According to Israeli sources, the latest campaign by the Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem came a few hours only after a meeting that took place between Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and American Jewish millionaire Irving Moskowitz, the financial godfather of Jewish settlement activities in Jerusalem.

Faisal Husseini, PLO Executive Committee member who holds the Jerusalem portfolio in the Palestinian government Cabinet, said the use of force adopted by Israel and its attempts to impose new realities on the ground prior to the final-status talks would eventually take the whole region into a wave of violence.

Previous Stories:
  Israeli celebrations for annexing Jerusalem   (5/25/1998)
  Palestinians praise concrete economic pressure on Israel by Europe   (5/20/1998)
  Many Israeli-Palestinian issues in Israel's comptroller's report   (5/11/1998)

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