MORE ON THE PROPOSED SILWAN HOUSING DEMOLITIONS:

Trouble brews over homes at ancient Jerusalem site
Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:13 AM BST

By Cynthia Johnston

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A new row is rumbling in Jerusalem over the fate of dozens of Arab houses on land that may have been the gardens of biblical King David's capital and next to where Christians believe Jesus performed miracles.

On one side are Palestinian residents of Bustan, a hamlet of about 80 homes.

On the other are Israeli authorities who say some houses may face demolition because they were built illegally on land set aside for a park. Israeli archaeologists also want the ground cleared.

[...]

Many residents of Bustan say they have received demolition orders and are challenging them in court. Several have exhausted court challenges and their homes could now face demolition, community leaders say.

[...]

Meanwhile, Israeli archaeologists are keen for the land to be cleared. It lies atop what they believe were royal gardens at the foot of Kind David's capital. Nearby is the Siloam pool, where the New Testament says Jesus gave a blind man sight.

"We hope that somebody will help us in this fight to protect the area," said Yuval Baruch, Jerusalem District Archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority.

"We just asked the municipality to do their job, not to allow people to build without permission... And if somebody does that, they have to take action to remove his house, not just in this area, but all over Israel."

Sami Ersheid, a lawyer representing many of the residents, dismissed the calls for preservation.

"Wherever any prophet touched his foot on the earth, do we have to preserve it until the end of this world?" he said.

[...]

Sounds like a messy situation.