JERUSALEM (JTA) — The residents of a Jewish building in eastern Jerusalem were given a reprieve when the municipality canceled distribution of evacuation orders.
The Jerusalem municipality canceled the distribution Monday for the eviction notice for the seven-story Beit Yonatan, in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, at the direction of the police, Haaretz reported. The police said such an action requires coordination with local police, according to reports.
The order gives the eight families living in the building a seven-day notice before the actual evacuation.
Several right-wing activists, including Knesset members, arrived at the home Monday in advance of the expected notification.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said last week that he would enforce an order to seal off the home, which was built without a permit five years ago by the right-wing group Ateret Cohanim. He said in a letter to state Prosecutor Moshe Lador that "the municipality will start to enforce the principle of the rule of law in the spirit of a uniform enforcement policy and without prejudice."
