THREE ITEMS FROM EAST JERUSALEM

Here are 3 reports regarding east Jerusalem. First, the shutdown of a Hamas office:

Armed with recently acquired intelligence information and an order signed by Police Insp.-Gen. David Cohen, Jerusalem Police on Sunday shut down an office in the eastern section of the city that had allegedly been used by Hamas as a fundraising and recruitment center.

No violent incidents were reported as officers arrived at the office – located at 19 Haroun el-Rashid Street, near the Herod’s Gate entrance to the Muslim Quarter of the Old City – and carried out the order to shut it down.

Jerusalem Police spokesman Shmulik Ben-Ruby confirmed that one man had been inside the office when police arrived early Sunday afternoon, although he was not taken in for questioning and complied with police orders to vacate the premises while the office was shuttered.

Ben-Ruby added that the office had been a managerial branch of the movement, used for raising funds and recruitment, and was not part of Hamas’s military wing.

Nonetheless, the move came some five days after Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas was making a concerted effort to purchase land and properties throughout the Jerusalem municipal area.

Diskin also said that, along with Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and the Islamic Movement were all currently operating in east Jerusalem and that the groups were competing with one another in an effort to gain influence and widen their presence in the area.

This isn't really new. The PA has been doing this for years now, ditto the other 2 Islamofascist entities mentioned here. I don't suppose that, if they now have custody of the office, they might want to sell it to Jewish sources who could make better purpose out of it?

Second, multiple arrests have been made of violent perpetrators in Silwan:

A investigation launched after a series of violent demonstrations in Silwan has resulted in a series of east Jerusalem arrests, Jerusalem police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced Monday morning.

Three unsolved cases of shooting attacks in the region were cracked as part of the probe. Multiple arrests were made, and confessions were taken by police.

Three arrests were made on May 30, in connection with an attack on a car in Silwan on March 3 in which a settler from Beit Yehonotan was wounded.

Issa Abassi, 25, Taed Fataafta, 26 and Mussa Fataafta, 24, all from Jabal Mukabar, were arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack.

Abassi confessed that on March 1, the Fataafta brothers opened fire on a passing car, while he carried out surveillance in the area. Taed surrender the weapon that was used in the attack, as well as another pistol, both of which underwent forensic analysis.

In a second attack, which took place on May 2 this year, a security jeep from the City of David was attacked and one guard was injured. Seven suspects from Silwan were arrested in connection with the incident, in which terrorists spilled oil on the road, hid with rocks and Molotov cocktails and ambushed the car.

In a March 16 attack, a police officer was injured in a shooting at Ras al-Amud.

According to confessions taken as part of the investigation, a group of local Israeli Arabs had decided to perpetrate the attack during demonstrations against the re-opening of the Hurva synagogue in the Old City.

Weapons were surrendered in line with the investigation.

Security officials noted that the arrests underlined the increasing occurrence of east Jerusalem Arabs being involved in violent terrorist attacks.

They should have their citizenship revoked and be exiled, and it sadly won't happen. By the way, pay careful attention to the paper's stupid use of "settler" to describe the victim from Beit Yehonatan.

Third, the mayor has approved a plan for demolishing several illegally built structures, also in Silwan:

The Jerusalem Planning and Construction committee approved Monday a plan by Mayor Nir Barkat dubbed "King's Garden", which calls for the demolition of 22 houses in Silwan's al-Bustan neighborhood. In their place an archaeological park is to be founded.

We need to hope this can actually be done, because there is opposition to it, from the left-wing Meretz party, which still has representation in city hall.