Jerusalem blacklisting Palestinian residents suspected of security offenses - Diplomacy and Defense

posted on: Mar 11, 2015

For months, police have been giving the Jerusalem municipality lists of hundreds of Palestinian residents suspected of security offenses, the goal being for the city to penalize them beyond whatever criminal proceedings police can initiate. Municipal employees investigate the suspects and their relatives to see whether it’s possible, for instance, to demolish an illegally built house, collect unpaid municipal taxes or close an unlicensed business.

Altogether, the lists show, the municipality has carried out hundreds of enforcement activities against the people on them.

The lists, which Haaretz has obtained, include hundreds of East Jerusalem residents, some of whom appear on more than one list. Most are Palestinians who were arrested on suspicion of participating in riots in the city since last July; others are considered local leaders.

Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem have complained for some time now that if any member of the family is arrested for rioting, other government agencies, including the municipality, the Interior Ministry and the National Insurance Institute, begin hounding the family – for instance, by demanding payment of debts. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has spoken repeatedly in favor of tougher measures against East Jerusalem residents in response to the wave of violence that erupted last summer in response to the murder of teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir and the war with Hamas in Gaza.

Source: www.haaretz.com