Court stops demolition of eastern Jerusalem homes

The Jerusalem District Court blocked the demolition of Palestinian homes in an eastern Jerusalem neighborhood.

The court ruled Wednesday that 22 illegal homes in the al-Bustan neighborhood that are set for demolition to make way for a building, recreation and tourism plan called The King’s Garden cannot be razed until plans are approved for the park.

The plan would see the 22 Arab-built homes demolished and in exchange, the residents will receive permits to build new homes elsewhere in the neighborhood. Sixty-six other homes in the neighborhood would be legalized retroactively as well.

The approval process for the park is expected to take two years.