Israel’s interior minister has asked a Jerusalem municipal committee to consider legalizing a Jewish building in an eastern Jerusalem neighborhood.

Eli Yishai authorized the Jerusalem District Building and Planning Committee to vote on the status of Beit Yonatan, a seven-story building in Silwan built without a permit five years ago by the right-wing group Ateret Cohanim. Yishai is head of the Shas Party.

After the authorization from Yishai, the committee planned to vote on the building at its scheduled meeting next week.If the committee grants retroactive approval, the first four floors of the building would be legal and the top three floors would be sealed off or removed, Ynet reported.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The Jerusalem District Court rejected an appeal by the residents to set aside the evacuation order, so that they can win approval for a new building plan.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said last week that he would enforce an order to seal off the home in the Arab neighborhood, but said he also would demolish up to 200 illegally built Palestinian structures in the area.

The Jerusalem municipality on Monday canceled the distribution for the eviction notice for Beit Yonatan at the direction of the police, Haaretz reported. The police said such an action requires coordination with local police, according to reports.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount