Jerusalem municipality demolishes 13 illegal buildings in terrorist’s neighborhood

The Jerusalem municipality cracked down on illegal construction in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber this week, demolishing over a dozen unauthorized structures.

The Arab neighborhood with a population of some 14,00 was home to Fadi al-Qunbar, the terrorist who killed four soldiers and wounded 16 more in a truck-ramming attack on Sunday in Jerusalem.

The city council found many buildings were constructed on public land and without planning permits, a statement from the municipality said.

On Wednesday, the municipality’s policing and inspection department demolished eight illegal temporary structures and cleared five dunam of land designated for building schools.

The structures had been used for a building supply business.

On Tuesday, the council cleared one-and-a-half dunam at Qunbar junction, near the home of the terrorist’s family, knocking down five temporary buildings that had been used as stables. The area is zoned as a public area and was reserved for a new road. The animals were taken to the city’s veterinarian.

Additionally, city planning supervisors mapped out the neighborhood, noting illegal construction and identifying and registering the homeowners.

The municipality said the enforcement was designed to tackle serious building offenses, which it said contravened the law and safety requirements, compromised public areas and hurt the neighborhood.

The city also started enforcing payment of the property and water taxes for residents of the neighborhood.

Also on Wednesday, Arab citizens of Israel went on strike in protest of Tuesday’s demolition of 11 illegal structures in Qalansawe, an Arab town in the Triangle region of central Israel.

On Tuesday, the Joint (Arab) List faction, which also supported the general strike, harshly condemned the demolitions, calling them “an unprecedented crime and a declaration of war against the residents of Qalansawe and the Arab public.”