Israel postpones razing of east Jerusalem building following int'l pressure

A demolition of a residential building in east Jerusalem which was supposed to take place on Tuesday - has been postponed to an unknown date. The building, which houses about a hundred families, was issued a demolition order in 2015.

Western diplomats said that the embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom and several other countries had contacted the Prime Minister's Office recently and expressed concern about the intention to demolish the building where 100 Palestinian families live in east Jerusalem.

Western diplomats noted that this morning, they were informed that the Prime Minister's Office had instructed to postpone the demolition of the building.

The building, with four floors, houses 12 housing units where about a hundred families live. Last September, the tenants received an extension of 90 days and then an additional 30 days which ends on Tuesday. 

Recently, cracks were discovered in the walls of the building, which make it unstable and dangerous, so it was decided to proceed with the demolition as soon as possible.

The residents themselves claim that they recently discussed with the municipality regarding alternative plans for the demolition, but there was no official conclusion that would stop the demolition order.

Opposition mocks 'fully right-wing' government

The opposition used the case to mock the "fully right-wing" government. MK Gideon Sa'ar addressed the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir on Twitter and wrote to him: "You have been tricked again," referring to Prime Minister Netanyahu. 

לא יכול להיות. בטח פייק ניוז של @BarakRavid. לא מאמין ש@bezalelsm ו@itamarbengvir נכנעו ללחץ בין לאומי, ועוד בירושלים. עוד מעט יגידו לנו שממשלת ימין על מלא ביקשה דחיה בפינוי חאן אלאחמר. בקצב הזה השגרירים עוד ידרשו להחזיר את הפיתות, וחס וחלילה מהפכת הפיתות העצומה גם תבוטל. עד כאן! https://t.co/TDbRoxfMBm

— Zeev Elkin (@zeev_elkin) February 6, 2023

His faction member Ze'ev Elkin also published a tweet in which he wrote: "It cannot be. Must be fake news from Barak Ravid. I do not believe that Bezalel Smotrich and [Itamar] Ben-Gvir succumbed to international pressure and more so in Jerusalem. Soon we will be told that the right-wing government has asked for a postponement of the eviction of  Khan Al-Ahmar. At this rate, the ambassadors will still demand the return of the pitas and God forbid, the huge pita revolution will also be canceled. That's it!"