Court Refuses To Overturn Beit Yonatan Evacuation in Eastern Jerusalem

(JTA) — A Jerusalem court has rejected an appeal by Jewish families to allow them to continue living in an eastern Jerusalem building.
The Jerusalem District Court ruled Tuesday not to overturn an order to seal off the Beit Yonatan building in Silwan, a predominately Palestinian neighborhood of eastern Jerusalem. Eight families live in the building, which was built without a permit in 2004 by the right-wing group Ateret Cohanim.
Local building codes mandate that buildings can be no more than four stories. The building had been ordered evacuated due to building code violations.