Jewish Claims to More Housing in Israel Likely To Upset Obama

Hillel Fendel
A7 News

The Jewish owners of a large plot of land in northeastern Jerusalem, near Atarot, are tired of waiting for official permission to move in, and are planning to take unilateral action. The move will likely upset the Obama administration. Aryeh King, of the Israel Lands Fund association, says the plot – currently known by its Arab name as Samir-Amis – is situated just north of Jerusalem’s Neve Yaakov neighborhood, and overlooks the Atarot airport and most of Jerusalem. Instead of waiting for the authorities to take action to evict the Arab squatters, 20 Jewish families are planning to move in to the unoccupied parts of the area in the coming weeks.

“The story started more than 30 years ago,” King told Benny Toker of Arutz-7’s Hebrew news magazine, “when Israeli families bought this property of 22 dunams (5.5 acres), overlooking Atarot and all of Jerusalem. Unfortunately, over the past seven years, Arabs took over and moved in to some of the buildings there. Even more unfortunate is that the Defense Ministry has decided to leave this property on the ‘wrong’ side of the anti-terrorism partition wall – even though it’s an official part of the municipality of Jerusalem! I call on the Israeli government to immediately revoke this grave action of transferring city land to the military.

“In turning to the authorities to reclaim the property,” King said, “we have been treated to a story that scriptwriters in Chelm couldn’t put together: The Jerusalem police say we should speak to the police of Judea and Samaria, and the police of Judea and Samaria refer us to the Defense Ministry, and then to the municipality, and back and forth between six different bodies, and the bottom line is that no one is doing anything.”

Somewhat ambiguously, King says, “We are in the midst of proceedings to remove the Arab squatter families. Whoever doesn’t leave, we will have to [evict by turnin to the courts. But in the meanwhile, we are tired of waiting, so we will exercise our rights and have 20 families move into some empty buildings there in the coming weeks.”

“It’s a giant area,” emphasizes King, who is active in reclaiming Jewish land in other Jerusalem areas as well. “Three hundred units can be built there. Just 400 meters away is an Arab school of the Jerusalem municipality, in Kfar Akeb; two months ago, the school had all its computers and its safe stolen, and yet the police have not yet even come to the school to investigate! The principal had to ask us for our help on this matter; it’s an absurd situation.”

In answer to a question, King said that he and his colleagues have been able to get to their property, “but when we do, the security forces try to stop us. But we know the law is on our side. Even [current Chief Justi Dorit Beinisch ruled several years ago that the police must take action against the squatters – but nothing has happened. We have no choice but to enter the houses ourselves.”

Asked if he now expects Israel to receive yet another reprimand from the United States regarding construction in Arab-populated areas of Jerusalem, King said, “I invite the Americans to come and see the luxurious houses and swimming pools the Arabs have built illegally on Jewish property. Just like trespassers in America are dealt with speedily and efficiently, that’s what we expect here.”

The property is in Kfar Akeb, north of Neve Yaakov and Beit Hanina. Neve Yaakov was originally a small Jewish community outside Jerusalem that was destroyed in the War of Independence; it was later rebuilt as part of Jerusalem after the 1967 Six Day War. Beit Hanina, further to the south, is an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem, but features one building with seven Jewish families that moved in after the Six Day War.