An enforcement operation by the Jerusalem Municipality, accompanied by security forces, successfully concluded on Tuesday after a quarter-century-long battle: in the At-Tur neighborhood of East Jerusalem, the full demolition of an illegal two-story building containing three residential apartments was completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The building, which covered an extensive area of approximately 350 square meters on each floor, was constructed in 2000 without the legally required building permits and stood at the center of a persistent and prolonged legal battle conducted by the municipal enforcement authorities for more than 25 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout the years in which the illegal structure remained standing, all legal proceedings concerning it were exhausted. The authorities imposed repeated administrative sanctions and financial penalties on the property owners, brothers Sami and Nabil Abu Jumaa, for the serious building violations. The accumulated fines amounted to approximately half a million shekels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite repeated extensions granted over the years, the matter was not resolved and the property was not vacated, until a final judicial demolition order was eventually issued. To avoid paying the high costs associated with the arrival of municipal bulldozers and security forces, the brothers chose to carry out a self-demolition of the building during June. The structure had been home to 28 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the self-demolition was only partial and did not fully comply with the legal requirements. Infrastructure, the structural framework and concrete foundations remained at the site in violation of the orders. As a result, inspectors from the Jerusalem Municipality\u2019s Building Supervision Department arrived on Tuesday morning, accompanied by police security forces and engineering equipment, to complete the demolition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A physical confrontation developed as the bulldozers and security forces entered the compound. Family members gathered at the scene and attempted to block the inspectors with their bodies and prevent the judicial order from being carried out. The forces were required to push back the rioters. According to reports by local media outlets in East Jerusalem, several women and an elderly member of the family suffered minor injuries during the clashes. One young man at the scene sustained a serious eye injury and was taken to a hospital for medical treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the end of the day, the security forces had gained full control of the scene, Jerusalem Municipality bulldozers completed the work, and the quarter-century-long violation of the law came to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n