You’re the mayor of Jerusalem. And it all comes down to you.
You’re dealing with 11 illegally built Palestinian apartment buildings on your city’s northern outskirts. They’re within the municipal boundaries alright, but they’re outside the security barrier.
You rub your head at another only-in-Israel moment no other mayor in the world deals with. The apartments were illegally built. Heck, the cops even arrested a few Palestinians for fraud involving the land some of those buildings were built on. But it ain’t safe for building inspectors to travel outside the security barrier to neighborhoods like Ras Hamis and Ras Shehada, which is why the Palestinians managed to brazenly build nine and ten-story buildings now occupied by hundreds of people.
You know they created a black hole for documenting legal ownership. Arab money from abroad is sometimes used to acquire Jerusalem properties. Preserve Islamic heritage, they claim. Yeah, right. You can’t help but wonder if those buildings are part of a larger racket.
And in the absence of inspections, you’re certain the people who built those buildings played fast and loose and with health and safety regulations.
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Evict ’em all and demolish the buildings?
That’s what any other mayor would do.
But nothing’s a no-brainer in Jerusalem. In your city, you don’t just deal with the usual bevy of bureaucrats, politicians, community activists, and legal beagles.
In Jerusalem, the Palestinians boycott local elections, yet they prefer living under your jurisdiction than with the corrupt, inept Palestinian Authority. They vote with their feet. You also have to consider foreign diplomats pontificating from far away about the peace process, a motley assortment of shady NGOs, and foreign reporters ready to sensationalize anything you do. Many of them aren’t local taxpayers. All politics is local. Except for here.
Till now, you pretty much managed to defuse the home demolition issue. Demolition orders went down on your watch, partly because of US and EU pressure, and partly because the threat of heavy fines helps maintain some semblance of law and order. But hitting people in the wallet only goes so far. Palestinian squatters backed by the right combo of lawyers, NGOs, and journalists can fight city hall. It’s the price we pay for democracy, you repeatedly remind yourself.
Turn a blind eye?
That’s the easy way out. But it only takes one slum fire or building collapse for the you-know-what to hit the fan. And when it does, the same people who urged you to leave the apartments alone will accuse you of discrimination and neglect.
Only in Israel.
Of course, only-in-Israel moments can work for you too. Last week, your national leaders released a bunch of terrorists, then accelerated construction projects in the eastern part of Jerusalem. That gives you some leverage.
But there’s no getting around the headlines. You already know what they’ll say.
Israel Evicts Hundreds of East Jerusalem Palestinians
World Condemns Large Scale Israeli Demolition Plans
The buck stops with you.
What would you do?
Featured image: CC BY flickr/Julian Mason with additions by HonestReporting
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12 Comments
If I were mayor of Jerusalem, I would hire a combination of US,German, and French building inspectors to come in with a video crew to examine these buildings. If they are attacked by Palestinians then this would be proof that something is shady here, and allow for U.N. troops to surround the area to allow the inspections to continue. If the buildings are unsafe, then they can either be dismantled or if possible, repaired. However, because the buildings were put up without permits, if they are allowed to be repaired then the owners will have to pay hefty fines to resume operations.
If I were mayor of Jerusalem, I would hire a combination of US,German, and French building inspectors to come in with a video crew to examine these buildings. If they are attacked by Palestinians then this would be proof that something is shady here, and allow for U.N. troops to surround the area to allow the inspections to continue. If the buildings are unsafe, then they can either be dismantled or if possible, repaired. However, because the buildings were put up without permits, if they are allowed to be repaired then the owners will have to pay hefty fines to resume operations.
This is a good example of how the media, in it’s desire to sell it’s stories, in combination with their favoritism toward the Palestinians, creates a situation that is very difficult for the Israeli leadership, besides the disseminating of slanted news. People accept the false, or incomplete information that they have been hearing for years as fact. And Israel is made into the villain. Helping people to unlearn these things is a good goal, and one that comes easier when you are dealing with people who already love Israel. But the simple honesty of this article should make a difference toward those who are themselves honest. Thank you for this report. Keep informing us.
This is a good example of how the media, in it’s desire to sell it’s stories, in combination with their favoritism toward the Palestinians, creates a situation that is very difficult for the Israeli leadership, besides the disseminating of slanted news. People accept the false, or incomplete information that they have been hearing for years as fact. And Israel is made into the villain. Helping people to unlearn these things is a good goal, and one that comes easier when you are dealing with people who already love Israel. But the simple honesty of this article should make a difference toward those who are themselves honest. Thank you for this report. Keep informing us.
“In Jerusalem, the Palestinians boycott local elections, yet they prefer living under your jurisdiction than with the corrupt, inept Palestinian Authority. They vote with their feet. You also have to consider foreign diplomats pontificating from far away about the peace process, a motley assortment of shady NGOs, and foreign reporters ready to sensationalize anything you do. Many of them aren’t local taxpayers. All politics is local. Except for here.”
“In Jerusalem, the Palestinians boycott local elections, yet they prefer living under your jurisdiction than with the corrupt, inept Palestinian Authority. They vote with their feet. You also have to consider foreign diplomats pontificating from far away about the peace process, a motley assortment of shady NGOs, and foreign reporters ready to sensationalize anything you do. Many of them aren’t local taxpayers. All politics is local. Except for here.”
It was a stupid idea to extend the municipal borders of Jerusalem to beyond the historical minimum in ’67. It was even more stupid to build the fence inside that order.
It was a stupid idea to extend the municipal borders of Jerusalem to beyond the historical minimum in ’67. It was even more stupid to build the fence inside that order.
Have a bunch of Jewish families attempt to buy some of the apartments. When they get rejected, heavily publicize the discrimination. Concurrently send in some Jews posing as Muslims or Muslims working undercover for the local TV station to verify that apartments are, in fact available. One more idea: have a Muslim buy an apartment and then tell everyone he’s going to sublet to a Jewish family. Then sit back and watch the sparks fly!
Would it be possible to move the security barrier to include neighborhoods such as Ras Hamis? That way it would be safe for the Mayor and other Israeli officials to take proper precautions to prevent illegal construction and resolve the existence of unauthorized structures.
I would get UN representatives from ally nations of Israel to come with me as I identify the problem. Then a delegation could come and intervene in this situation.
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