JERUSALEM MUNICIPALITY DEMOLISHES AMCIT'S EAST

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000636 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE. NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2017 TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS CASC SUBJECT: JERUSALEM MUNICIPALITY DEMOLISHES AMCIT'S EAST JERUSALEM HOME REF: JERUSALEM 348 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) The Jerusalem Municipality demolished the home of AmCit Khalid Shoman in East Jerusalem's Beit Hanina neighborhood on April 9 after the Israeli High Court of Justice (HCJ) rejected Shoman's appeal in late February. Shoman's home was built in 2002 without a permit. Shoman inhabited the home with his wife and four children from 2002 to 2008, while he attempted to obtain a retroactive permit from the Municipality. ¶2. (C) Elad Halevy, Deputy Political Advisor to Jerusalem Mayor Lupolianski, told PolOff in early April that the Municipality would act based on the HCJ's ruling. Shoman's lawyer, Sami Ershied told PolOff April 11 that Mayor Lupolianski had the authority to stop this demolition despite the HCJ decision because Shoman was not formally convicted of building without a permit. As a goodwill gesture, Shoman signed an affidavit on his own initiative in late March pledging to pay fines, pursue the case, and obtain a permit for his home. ¶3. (C) Meir Margalit, Coordinator for the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD),told PolOff in late March that Shoman's home was on the proposed route of the Eastern Ring Road, which is why it had attracted the Municipality' attention. WALLES