NEW HOME DEMOLITIONS AND DEMOLITION ORDERS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000965 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA. NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR. JOINT STAFF FOR LTGEN SELVA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PHUM ASEC IS KWBG KPAL SUBJECT: NEW HOME DEMOLITIONS AND DEMOLITION ORDERS IN JERUSALEM REF: A. JERUSALEM 686 ¶B. JERUSALEM 491 ¶C. 07 JERUSALEM 1717 Classified By: Deputy Principal Officer Greg Marchese, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD),two home demolitions were carried out in Jerusalem's Old City on June 9. One was an apartment in the Christian Quarter, and the other a second-floor addition in the Muslim Quarter. ICAHD also reported that the Israeli High Court of Justice (HCJ) approved on June 8 a demolition order for an East Jerusalem community center near E-1 that has been demolished five times previously. The PA Minister for Jerusalem Affairs said home demolition orders were issued on June 7 and 8 for two East Jerusalem buildings, one housing 100 Palestinians, and the other housing 60 Palestinians. End summary. Two Demolitions Carried Out in Old City -------------- ¶2. (C) Jerusalem City Council member and Coordinator for ICAHD Meir Margalit told PolOff on June 9 that demolition orders were carried out that day on two homes in Jerusalem's Old City. Margalit said the first was a 25-square-meter apartment on Via Delorosa in the Christian Quarter. It housed the Palestinian owner's nine family members. The second, an 85-square-meter second-floor addition to a Palestinian home near Damascus Gate in the Muslim Quarter, was self-demolished by the owners in order to avoid a heavy fine. ¶3. (C) Margalit said the HCJ on June 8 approved a demolition order for a community center in Anata, a Palestinian neighborhood within Jerusalem but east of the separation barrier, and the site of a number of home demolitions (ref C). Margalit said the community center, known locally as "Beit Arabiya," is managed by ICAHD, and has been demolished five times previously. He said ICAHD has tried multiple times to obtain a license for "Beit Arabiya." When the applications were rejected, he appealed to the HCJ. He opined that ICAHD cannot obtain the building permits because Anata lies between the E-1 area and Jerusalem, with "Beit Arabiya" just 300 meters northwest of E-1. He said he is preparing a formal letter requesting USG assistance to prevent demolition of the building. PA Describes New Demolition Orders -------------- ¶4. (C) PA Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Hatem Abdul Qader told PolSpec that the Jerusalem Municipality issued on June 7 new demolition orders for an apartment building housing approximately 100 Palestinians in a building in the Beit Hanina neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Abdul Qader said the Municipality also issued on June 8 demolition orders for an apartment building housing approximately 60 Palestinians in the A'-Tur neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Abdul Qader said the Palestinian owner built the building 17 years ago. Abdul Qader said the PA Ministry for Jerusalem Affairs will follow up on both cases and hire lawyers to challenge the orders. He called the orders "a continuation of Israel's liquidation of legitimate residents from their homes." WALLES