The Israel Land Authority (ILA) has recently sent a letter to the UNRWA demanding that the UN Palestinian relief agency vacate the premises of a compound in the village of Kafr Aqab, a neighborhood in northern Jerusalem, citing its lack of permit to use the state-owned plot.
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In the letter, the ILA's legal counsel for the Jerusalem District emphasized that UNRWA has taken over the land in the city without a permit and that the ILA demanded its evacuation and the retroactive payment of 17 million shekels ($4600) in usage fees.
Video: The UNRWA compound in Jerusalem / Credit: Jerusalem Municipality website
The UNRWA compound in question was allegedly built without a proper permit for its current usage. The land, spanning 21 acres, is located near the Qalandiya checkpoint and was purchased at the beginning of the 20th century by Jewish philanthropists abroad, who donated it to a special fund for developing Jewish settlement in the Jerusalem area. UNRWA-affiliated people took over the land and built on it, among other things, a school and a memorial for terrorists who were involved in terror activities in Jerusalem.
On January 14, the ILA sent the letter to UNRWA in Jerusalem, demanding retroactive payment of the fee due to the illegal construction and usage "You are hereby required to immediately cease all unlawful use, demolish everything you have built illegally, evacuate the land of all persons and/or objects and restore the situation to its previous state, within 30 days of the date of this letter," the letter reads.
Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Arieh King, sent a letter to Chairwoman of KKL-JNF Ifat Ovadia Luski, noting that the organization should act to reclaim the place that it rightfully owned. King wrote: "The school in Kafr Aqab sits on a plot purchased 100 years ago by overseas donors, who transferred ownership to KKL-JNF for the purpose of reclaiming land." King added that "in the past, part of the land contained a KKL-JNF forest called Qalandiya; UNRWA personnel uprooted most of the trees."
Upon learning of the ILA's letter, King welcomed the decision: "I expect the government to immediately take action to collect the fine from UNRWA and ensure the full evacuation of the property and its return to Jewish hands, according to its original purpose. There is no place for enemies in Jerusalem."
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