State Prosecutor Lador
Photo: George Ginsberg
Jerusalem Mayor Barkat
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Lador to Jerusalem mayor: Evacuate Silwan house immediately
State prosecutor criticizes Jerusalem mayor over Beit Yonatan affair, demands municipality comply with court order to evacuate Jewish residence in east Jerusalem neighborhood
State Prosecutor Moshe Lador sent a letter to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Thursday, instructing him to comply immediately with the evacuation order for Beit Yonatan, which houses Jewish families in the Silwan neighborhood of east Jerusalem.
"I was dismayed to hear that even at this late date the Jerusalem municipality has not concerned itself with respecting and carrying out court orders that have come from all instances, including four times from the Supreme Court," the state prosecutor wrote.
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Lador explained that Beit Yonatan "was built from the beginning without regard for planning and construction laws, by people who have not revealed their identity, while only their 'representatives' are actually present – those living in the building."
Currently, Jewish families associated with the right-wing Ateret Cohanim movement reside in the seven-story building, which was constructed in 2004.
The state prosecutor noted that the State of Israel is "a law-abiding state, and court orders must be followed. This simple and basic truth is undermined when orders are ignore."
Lador also referred to previous meetings on the issue, and to the fact that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz was not convinced by the municipality's claims that in light of its plans to develop the Silwan neighborhood the court order should not be carried out.
"All policies regarding development should be examined carefully, of course, and I wish you luck in advancing such plans," Lador wrote, "But this has nothing to do with complying with the court order. In addition, there is no justification for the involvement of political figures who are not authorized to deal in this matter, in their attempts – directly or indirectly – to undermine law enforcement processes."
Ronen Medzini also contributed to this report
