St. Yves Annuls a House Demolition Order in Jerusalem issued by the Israeli Ministry of Interior

• Date: 2016-12-26

The Society of St. Yves – Catholic Center for Human Rights cancelled on the 23rd of November 2016,  A.K’s house demolition order issued by the Israeli Ministry of Interior in Al-Sawahreh area in Jerusalem.

A.K approached St. Yves only one day before the demolition was scheduled seeking immediate intervention. St. Yves immediately took legal action by presenting an urgent appeal to the judge at the Israeli magistrate court to freeze the demolition order, on the grounds that the order itself and the procedure by which it was issued are defaulted. St. Yves demanded the court to freeze with immediate effect the demolition order, given that Palestinians have only 24 hour time limit after receiving a demolition order to react, which put A.K’s house at an imminent risk of demolition.

St. Yves obtained a demolition freeze of two weeks, after which the court scheduled a hearing on the 24th of November. However, one day prior to the hearing, the district committee withdrew the demolition order after St. Yves allegations of legal faults were proven to be correct.

St. Yves highlights the importance of seeking legal assistance immediately because the delay given to citizens after receiving demolition order is too short and does not exceed 24 hours.

It is noteworthy that by maintaining extremely discriminatory and rigid planning and zoning schemes for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, which result in house demolitions, Israel ensures the diminishing of the Palestinian population in the city.

For more information on house demolitions: http://www.saintyves.org/?MenuId=0&Lang=1&TemplateId=projects&catId=7