UPDATE 10:50 PM There are reports of trucks carrying bulldozers coming up Route 443 to Jerusalem. This could mean that police will try to position the machinery in place before local residents organize to block them.
UPDATE: The Supreme Court will hear from the State’s Attorney Wednesday at 8:30 AM, regarding the decision to demolish the Ayelet Hashachar synagogue in Givat Ze’ev. So far Chief Justice Miriam Na’or has not indicated that she intends to postpone the demolition order, and so the deadline for razing the synagogue is still Thursday.
The campaign against the demolition has been calling the public to arrive at the synagogue in order to protect it with their bodies, to prevent the demolition. One of the leading activists in the fight told Srugim that there is concern the police would arrive late at night and block access to the synagogue, to prevent attempts at civil disobedience. Residents are afraid police will also take over the place Tuesday tonight, as they have done countless times in such cases in the past, and will await the instructions of the court, to halt the demolition or to go ahead with it. In the past, on such occasions, police have been known to “jump the gun” and demolish the contested property during the night, even before receiving the final court order.
Following an evaluation by the police, the High Court decided to delay the demolition of the Ayelet Hashachar synagogue by three weeks. It was slated for destruction tonight.
The High Court decided that the synagogue must be destroyed as the Jewish owners couldn’t prove to the court’s satisfaction that their land purchase was from the rightful owner.
The son of the Arab they bought the land from claimed his father bought it from the original Arab owner and then resold it. The son of the original owner claims his father never sold the land.
One of the Arabs is lying, but no one knows which, and the High Court has decided in favor of the original owner, but originally delayed the destruction to see if a compromise could be reached or more documentation could be found.
Despite paying for the land once and in full, the synagogue has offered to also pay the original owner’s son in full, including back rent, just to end the controversy, but the original owner’s son has rejected the offer, and has demanded the synagogue’s destruction. The original owner is being assisted by the “Yesh Din” NGO.
It is not clear, if that would be sufficient anyway, as additional heirs could still come forward and claim that first son did not have the exclusive right to sell it.
The synagogue has several hundred members.