Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20211103

A30 world news
Diaranson 3 november 2021

Palestinians reject offer to delay their Jerusalem eviction

porter, said they had accepted
the offer. The threatened evictions
were one of the main driv-
The families, who are origi- ers of protests that erupted
nally from what is now Israel, in Jerusalem in April and
say the Jordanian govern- May. The city, with major
ment granted them the land holy sites sacred to Jews,
on which their homes were Christians and Muslims, is
later built in exchange for the emotional heart of the
their refugee status after it century-old Israeli-Palestin-
assumed control of the West ian conflict and has been the
Bank and east Jerusalem in epicenter of several waves of
1948. They have been living unrest over the years.
there ever since.
After weeks of clashes be-
Israel has portrayed the mat- tween Palestinians and Israeli
ter as a private real-estate dis- police, including at a flash-
pute, but the Palestinians and point holy site, Gaza’s mili-
human rights groups view it tant Hamas rulers fired rock-
as a coordinated attempt to ets at the city.
push Palestinian residents
out of Jerusalem and change That set off the fourth Gaza
(AP) — Palestinian families The proposal floated by Is- dozens in Jerusalem who are the city’s identity. The U.S. war since Hamas seized
on Tuesday rejected an offer rael’s Supreme Court last threatened with eviction by has spoken out against the power from rival Palestin-
that would have delayed their month would have made Jewish settler organizations evictions, saying it under- ian forces in 2007. Hamas
eviction by Jewish settlers in them “protected tenants,” in several cases that have been mines efforts to eventu- has repeatedly warned Israel
a tense Jerusalem neighbor- blocking any eviction and de- working their way through ally revive the long-dormant against evicting the families.
hood, where protests and molition order for at least the the Israeli court system for peace process.
clashes helped ignite the 11- next 15 years, according to Ir decades. The families’ decision to re-
day Gaza war in May. Amim, an Israeli rights group Israel captured east Jerusa- ject the offer sends the matter
that closely follows develop- The settlers are making use lem, along with the West back to the Supreme Court,
The four families in the ments in the city. of an Israeli law that allows Bank and the Gaza Strip, in which could approve the
Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood them to claim properties that the 1967 war. The Palestin- evictions and pave the way
near the Old City said their The families would have were owned by Jews prior to ians want all three territories for them to be carried out
decision springs from “our been able to continue argu- the 1948 war surrounding to form their future state and in the coming weeks. That
belief in the justice of our ing their case in Israeli courts. Israel’s creation. Palestinians consider east Jerusalem their would risk setting off another
cause and our right to our But it would have forced who lost homes, properties capital. Jordan supports their cycle of violence.
homes and our homeland.” them to at least temporarily and lands in the same con- claims.
They said that rather than attest to the settlers’ owner- flict do not have the right to Ir Amim says the Israeli gov-
submit to an “unjust agree- ship of the properties, which recover them. Israel annexed east Jerusalem ernment has various tools at
ment” they would rely on the could weaken the families’ shortly after the 1967 war and its disposal to delay or halt
“Palestinian street” to raise case going forward, and pay There was no immediate considers the entire city to be the evictions, but so far it has
international awareness of rent to the settlers. comment from the settlers, its capital, a claim not recog- shown no indication it plans
their plight. but Jerusalem Deputy Mayor nized by most of the interna- to do so.
The four families are among Arieh King, a staunch sup- tional community.

Collapsed Nigerian building had permit for 15 floors, not 21

(AP) — Authorities in Agency of Nigeria reported sonnel have been deployed about three hours before the visit to see a friend at the con-
Nigeria have arrested that the building’s owner had in the site to save more lives,” first excavator arrived at the struction site when the build-
the owner of a high-rise been arrested on undisclosed he said. scene Monday afternoon. ing came down.
apartment building in the charges.
country’s largest city that On Tuesday, distressed rela- “Some of us have our broth- “He wanted to go back yes-
suddenly collapsed, kill- “I am on the ground here and tives whose loved ones were ers there,” one man shouted. terday to the United States,
ing at least 14 people and the materials he used are so missing sat together by the “They are not doing much so he said he should come
leaving dozens still miss- inferior and terrible,” Gbo- road consoling one an- inside there, so why can’t and see the landlord” be-
ing Tuesday beneath the lahan Oki, general manager other. Afolabi Sunny said they allow us?” fore heading to the airport,
rubble. of the Lagos State Building his 25-year-old sister, Oy- she said. He never made the
Control Agency, told the indamola, had only recently Mama Segun said her son flight and has not been heard
Nine people have been News Agency of Nigeria. started to work at the con- had only been making a brief from since.
pulled out alive, an official “He got approval for 15 floors struction site as a participant
said, but relatives were angry but built 21.” of the National Youth Service
at what they called the slow Corps just months after she
pace of the rescue effort that Hours later, the Lagos state graduated from school.
began hours after the collapse governor announced Tuesday
on Monday. that Oki had been suspended “They are trying. Everybody
from his position indefinitely. is just trying,” he said of the
Meanwhile, officials said the rescue operation. “But as
property’s developers had Co-workers say they believe far as my sister is not one of
added six more floors than dozens of people remain those brought out, they are
what was originally approved trapped in the debris, and not trying.”
under their building permit only nine people have been
in the city of Lagos, fuel- pulled out alive over the last Others at the scene shouted
ing speculation that the ad- 24 hours, Lagos commission- in anger, saying the rescue
ditional weight could have er for information Gbenga operation was too slow and
contributed to the collapse. Omotoso said. that they should be allowed
The government-run News “More equipment and per- to join the effort. It took