Israel Matzav

Jerusalem turning a blind eye to Silwan construction for years

I've mentioned the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shiloach (Silwan) many times on this blog, and I'm sure many of you have heard of it in other places as well. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has come under fire internationally for a plan that would demolish 22 of 88 illegally constructed buildings in an area of Silwan that is designated as a public park.

Every fall, the State Comptroller issues a report about malpractice by Israel's government. One of the subjects of this year's report is Silwan.

Jerusalem city hall has been lax in enforcing building codes and reining in illegal construction in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, according to a state comptroller's report.

In particular, State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss cited the municipality's failure to preserve green areas in Silwan's Gan Hamelech section. Gan Hamelech garnered media attention earlier this year after Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat declared his intention to raze 22 of the 88 illegal structures built at the site in order to make way for a park meant to attract tourists. The mayor said he prepared his plan after having been criticized by the comptroller for failing to confront the illegal building problem.

Gan Hamelech, known in Arabic as Al Bustan, lies in the heart of the predominantly Arab neighborhood. In his report, the comptroller noted the site has both archaeological and environmental significance.

Though the area was zoned mainly as open space, city hall has permitted Palestinian residents to construct homes there illegally for the past 20 years.

"For years, the municipality has not acted against illegal construction with sufficient determination, nor has it succeeded in stopping it in its initial stages," the report said. "Moreover, even when city hall did raze buildings, it did not act to prevent the construction of new ones."

The comptroller also criticized the drawn-out legal proceedings against those believed to be behind the illegal construction, as well as the lack of cooperation between the municipality and the Interior Ministry in efforts to tackle the problem.

Yaacov Lozowick has a series of aerial photos which show how the open, green area has literally disappeared since 1967. They will make you wonder why all 88 buildings are not on the chopping block.

On Thursday, I showed you an interview with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on CNN, in which the 'interviewer' attacked him for trying to crack down on illegal Arab construction in Jerusalem, claiming that Arabs cannot get building permits in the city.

The interviewer was lying. In fact, there are enough permits available for Arab construction to last until 2020. Those of you who are interested should follow that link. It's a shame Barkat didn't have the numbers to throw back at her.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:09 AM