Open letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Government House Jerusalem

Dear Prime Minister Illegal occupancy of Government House Jerusalem by the UN The 5th June 2024 marked the 57 year of the illegal occupation by the UN, the UNTSO and other UN agencies of Government House Jerusalem. Prior to the termination of the Mandate this building complex , deliberately erected in the 1930’s on the commanding heights of Southern Jerusalem ridge, overlooking the Old City, was a status symbol of the British rule to all who viewed it from the Old City. During the period 1949 to 1967 the area where the building is situated was acknowledged to be in No Man’s Land as per the Israel- Jordan Armistice Agreement of April 1949. On the 5th June 1967 the Jordanian Army at 10:45 am opened fire on Jewish Jerusalem, despite PM Levi Eshkol’s attempt with no avail, through the UN, to persuade Jordan not to become involved in the hostilities. The Jordanians subsequently captured Jebel Mukhaber and by 14:10 had seized Government House. [A full description of events is in Uzi Narkiss book “The Liberation of Jerusalem”]. In the battle to retake Government House from the illegal occupation the IDF lost 21 soldiers as testified by the memorial plaque on the Hass Promenade. Having displaced the Jordanians at great cost in lives of the soldiers, the government of Israel procrastinated, as shown in documents found in the State Archives as to what should happen to the complex. It was the prestigious Headquarters of the Mandate and it was now in Israeli hands- it should have been incorporated into Jerusalem to serve as the Government Official Palace like the White House in Washington. Unfortunately, the UN were allowed to immediately reoccupy, make substantial modifications over the past 57 years to both the internal and exterior structures, to illegally extend the boundaries of the area etc. All this took place without either national or local Jerusalem planning authorization – they have in the past 57 years acted unilaterally. Additionally, they apparently do not pay Jerusalem Municipal Taxes [Arnona]], nor reimburse the suppliers of vital infrastructure utilities electricity, water and telephone communication. Furthermore, they also occupy the adjacent Antenna Hill to the south east. Given that the Government of Israel signed Peace treaties with its neighbors in Jordan and Egypt and that the UNTSO has not ensured that UNSC Resolution 1701 regarding Hezbollah activities in Lebanon has been upheld, there can be no reasonable grounds for the UN and its agencies to occupy Government House in Jerusalem they can move lock stock and barrel to the north of the country where they will be on the spot. In the past, Regavim has drawn the government’s attention to illegally extend the boundaries of the area etc. to no avail. All this without either national or local Jerusalem planning authorization or building permission. Furthermore, in recent weeks, the Minister of Housing declared on behalf of the State of Israel that the UNWRA complex in Ma’alot Dafna was illegal and was taking steps including, but not limited to, fines and payment of retroactive rent. . Given the attitude of the UN Secretary General and UN staff as well as the General Assembly and UNSC towards Israel and vis a vis the Jewish people, we must stand firm against this attitude and openly show our supreme Sovereignty by regaining full total control over the Government House complex and the adjacent areas. I call upon you as Prime Minister to restore our dignity and self-respect in establishing in Government House, which was the legal headquarters of the Mandatory power to which Israel took over some 57 years ago as the Sovereign Power, to reinstate this building complex as the official legal Israeli Government Palace and expel the UN from the complex forthwith.

OPEN LETTER TO POTUS PRESIDENT USA JOE BIDEN

President Joe Biden You constantly express that Israel should not take excessive punitive measures against Hamas and their supporters in Gaza, claiming the latter are civilians (who have kept Hamas in power for 16 years and support the aims to destroy Israel by any means). As such Jewish blood is being spilt because of your demands. Let me remind you that as I write Red Alerts of incoming missiles and rockets are going off as indiscrimate firing of these projectiles at Israeli civilians is occurring, and has been for the last 11 weeks, from both Gaza and Lebanon. You appear to be more concerned with the "civilians" in Gaza that the civilian survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants in Israel. Time and time again the USA has prevented Israel from completely obliterating its sworn enemy who uses both conventional, non conventional and barbaric terrorist means against the citizens of the Jewish State whilst paying lip service to claiming to support Israel. Now is the time for you to stop treating Israel as a Vassal of the USA and let it achieve an outright victory, condemn Hamas and its supporters. Strange that the Hamas leader was free to be in Cairo recently without being arrested for mass murder and acts of barbarism against Jews not seen since the Nazi era. Clearly, there is a double standard being applied, just like the USA decision in the recent UN Security Council resolution. You are losing your grip on this conflict to the detriment of the USA and the Jewish people in the only Jewish state in the world by supporting indirectly Islam and all it stands for in its many guises. Posted to White House web site email contact 24 December 2023

Open letter sent to Dame Elan Closs Stephens - chair BBC Board of Governors on 21 December 2023

Copied Tim Davie - Director General BBC

 Dear Dame Elan,

I am writing to you as Chairman of the BBC Governors. 

I listened with incredulity to the morning's BBC Radio 4 News Bulletin on 21 December 2023 regarding the tunnels that Israel Defence Forces had uncovered/discovered in Gaza in the location of the Hamas leader's home when it was stated that " this has not been verified". It is as if the BBC is accusing Israel of making this up and using mock ups of what were tunnels etc. in the studio or in the field.

 Contrast this with the BBC web site https://www.bbc.com/news  that puts out material from its employees such as BBC Arabic camera operator Jehad El-Mashhrawi, Fergal Keane, Adnan El-Bursh, Lina Sinjab and Yolande  Knell (who lives in Jerusalem with her Arab spouse) without mentioning if the material has been verified- it appears the BBC trusts these people to report honestly but does NOT trust the Jews of the IDF.

 Furthermore, on the BBC web site "Posted  20 Dec15:46  a report  "There is no food or water' - Gaza mothers unable to feed their babies"- was this verified?  One recollects at the start of the conflict BBC reports stated that there was no water available in the Gaza Strip since Israel had cut off supplies of potable water, but it seems that whilst there may have been a shortage, sufficient was available. Notwithstanding, exactly how was the report of December 20 or earlier actually verified – it was accepted as a fact by the BBC because it considers those providing the information as honest !  In fact those providing the information were and are partial and prone to be inaccurate, to further their cause.

 In assessing those providing reports for the BBC on this conflict, one identifies that there are no Jews or Israelis. It is as if the BBC states loud and clear that Jews are not to be trusted so we airlift in our own "experienced" reporters – it is  time for some HONEST REPORTING.

How is the BBC going to correct this situation?

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL - TIME TO RESIGN

DEMAND FOR YOUR RESIGNATION

Like the majority of Anglos I made Aliyah to a Jewish State under the Law of Return. The latter right being only available to people who can prove to the satisfaction of the civil authorities that they are Jewish. A large number of my friends and acquaintances who also made Aliyah from the UK and other democratic countries and who attended Hovevei Zion Beit Knesset where you are a frequent worshipper are dismayed at the way chaos has resulted from your poor decisions at a time of emergency.

In viewing the current political turmoil in the country one wonders what you were considering when you made that ill-fated judgement to hand the mandate to form a government to Gantz of the “Blue & White” party on the recommendations of the various parties elected to the 23^rd Knesset as a result of the third election on 2 March.

Out of 4.55 million votes cast, 0.58 million were for the Joint Arab list. On the basis that very few if not any Jews voted for this list, which leaves 3.97million Jewish votes. Out of the latter 56.4 percent voted for Nationalist Zionist/Jewish parties. It was with utter dismay that it was learned that instead of considering the Jewish voters’ choice of government you took it upon yourself to consider all the votes cast, including those of the Joint Arab List amongst whose leaders is Ahmed Tibi, a past adviser to Yassar Arafat.  At the time the PLO, which Arafat headed, was murdering and maiming Jews both in the Jewish State and Diaspora, with impunity.

 As I stated, only Jews have the right to make Aliyah under the Law of Return to a Jewish State. This being the case you should have, putting aside any personal animosity, handed the mandate to the leader of the party with the largest number of seats in the Knesset. When you made your decision, even aware that the current plague, Covid-19, could affect the country, and given the two previous inconclusive election results, it was incumbent upon you to call the parties together not to form a unity government but a National  Emergency Government as was done in 1967 when Begin joined the existing government and cabinet without preconditions and without a ministry as a Minister without Portfolio. The chaos resulting from you poor judgement since you handed the mandate to Gantz, during this period of this national and international emergency bodes ill for the citizens of Israel. Now that Gantz has apparently changed his mind about running a government with the joint Arab list and several of the parties that initially constituted the “Blue and White” party, he has with his reduced minority demanded the senior ministries in a proposed unity government – instead of joining the current interim government as a minister without portfolio as Begin did in 1967.

It is understood from the media today that Mr. Gantz is seeking an extension from April 13, the time he has to return the mandate you gave him to form a government. As pointed out above, since his original “Blue and White” party at the time of the elections has disintegrated his reconstructed “Blue and White” party is even smaller. No extension should be forthcoming given the numerical vote count of March 2.   We need a National Emergency Government to handle the current health crisis and the future economic crisis that will ultimately result. The best thing for the country would be if you took responsibility for your ill-fated judgement, did not extend Gantz’s mandate and resigned forthwith.

Ben Gurion told Professor Chaim Weitzman on offering him the position of the first president, you will be the titular head of the state but not have any political prerogatives, akin to the monarch of the UK. I believe this is also contained in the Basic Law of the State of Israel. Yet unlike Weitzman you have taken the liberty at every available opportunity to make political statements. Now is the time to relinquish your position for the benefit of the country.

                                                    

Reliability of Israeli food supply sources

A considerable amount of our food in Israel originates from overseas. The WHO states there is a pandemic. This will result in severe global trade and economic disturbances.

Inspection of the manufactured food on sale in Israeli supermarkets shows an extremely large percentage is imported from overseas. Such products are likely to become restricted in availability as a result of production disturbances in the manufacturing countries due to the pandemic.

What is disturbing, as eagle eyed consumers notice, is no indications of the country of origin of  fruit and vegetables on sale. We import tomatoes from Turkey, pears from South America, France and Spain, apples from Chile, USA, an pineapples from Peru and so on. It is high time it was made mandatory for the shops to state both country of origin and the product class as is practiced in Western countries. It would then be up to the consumer to decide if they want to support home grown fresh fruit and vegetables or imports, some from countries that denigrate us in world forums. If we fail to support Israeli produce then with production disturbances a quarantine overseas a severe food shortage of fresh food could result. 

Copy of letter sent to Jerusalem Post 9 March 2020 - Not Published

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OF STATE OF ISRAEL RT. HON. RUBY RIVLIN

The Prime Minister, the former Defense Ministers and the former Chiefs of Staff are totally responsible for the unprecedented situation that we are currently facing. They have been ably and abetted by the judiciary of the IDF who have embedded lawyers with the field operations decision making units at the behest of the former military advocate general of the IDF to attempt to minimize negative world opinion (2012) (1).

The situation has arisen because they all have failed in the defense of the country by appeasing our enemies, back tracking on verbal threats made against our enemies with respect to escalation, have turned too many blind eyes away from reality, restricted the IDF from undertaking its task with rules tantamount to a set of shackles/ handcuffs regarding utilizing their weapons, failed to ensure the sanctity of the Temple Mount is respected and failing to enforce law order to the non-Jewish element of society.

Far too much Jewish blood has been spilt with Jewish lives lost and citizens traumatized on a daily basis, be it from rockets from Gaza, incendiary balloons from Gaza,  vehicle stoning in Judea and Samaria, drive by shootings at both the IDF and civilians and the numerous stabbings and incendiary attempts against civilians.

The public has remained silent for far too long against the incompetence of those in the seats of power, be it current or former. Today these people still have the temerity to stand before the electorate on the eve of an election without any remorse for their utter failures. 

Under the prevailing circumstances, irrespective of any legal viewpoint prompted by the judiciary as to the legality, the President must act in a responsible role, put aside all personal feelings to both the parties and candidates and use his prerogative to immediately postpone the forthcoming election to enable the country to reverse the IDF’s role from defensive to offensive and once and for all crush our enemies !

                                                                   

(1)    https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/84f408/pdf/

ILLEGAL OCCUPATION OF GOVERNMENT HOUSE JERUSALEM BY UN

                                                                  

GOVERNMENT HOUSE JERUSALEM – BRIEFING PAPER AS TO STATUS

Government House Jerusalem 1930’s Israel State Archives

BACKGROUND TO THE PRESENCE OF BRITAIN IN ERETZ YISRAEL

After ruling vast areas of Eastern Europe, South-western Asia, and North Africa for centuries, the Ottoman Empire lost all its Middle East territories in World War One. The Treaty of Sèvres of August 10, 1920 abolished the Ottoman Empire and obliged Turkey to renounce all rights over Arab Asia and North Africa. It was replaced by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. The status of the former possessions was determined at a conference of the Allied Supreme Council (comprising of Britain, France, Italy and Japan) in San Remo, Italy on April 24-25, 1920 with the United States having observer status. Syria and Lebanon were mandated to France while Mesopotamia (Iraq) and the southern portion of the territory (Palestine) were mandated to Britain, with the charge to implement the Balfour Declaration.

These conference's resolutions were confirmed unanimously by all fifty-one member countries of the League of Nations on July 24, 1922 and they were further endorsed by a joint resolution of the United States Congress in the same year. Subsequently in the Anglo-American Treaty on Palestine, signed by the US and Britain on December 3, 1924, the text of the Mandate for Palestine was incorporated. The treaty protected the rights of Americans living in Palestine under the Mandate and more significantly it also made those rights and provisions part of United States treaty law which are protected  under the US constitution. The League of Nations was the first international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. Its primary goals, as stated in its Covenant, included preventing wars through collective security and disarmament and settling international disputes through negotiation and arbitration. On 19 April 1946, the League Assembly decided to dissolve the League and to transfer its services, mandates, and property to the United Nations (UN) 

BACKGROUND TO GOVERNMENT HOUSE BUILDING COMPLEX

When High Commissioner Herbert Samuel was appointed in 1920 he made his headquarters in the 1910 constructed German Augusta Victoria building on Mount Scopus. His successor, Lord Herbert Plummer, detested the German building and requested a substitute be found. British architect, Austen St. Barbe Harrison, a relative of Jane Austen, was given the commission and commenced the design in 1927 for a new Government House. Construction was undertaken by the Italian construction company, Ernesto D. A. Da Faro, employing 400 workers including highly skilled craftsmen from the whole of the Middle East. The complex’s location was selected due to its symbolic and strategic basis on the high ground, south of the Old City, overlooking the valley of Hinnom, the Old City, David’s City and beyond that to the Mount of Olives and the distant mountains of Moab. The complex was completed in 1933 and was at that time the most magnificent building in Jerusalem. The interior was designed in Arabic style, clearly reneging on the Mandate to establish a Jewish State (1).

 HISTORICAL DETAILS OF THE ILLEGAL OCCUPATION OF GOVERNMENT HOUSE

The British High Commissioner, Sir John Cunningham, departed from Government House at 8.00 a.m. on the morning of May 14, 1948. Dr. Dov Joseph, who was the Israeli Military Governor of Jerusalem in 1948, provides concise details of events that took place subsequent to the departure of the British High Commissioner (2). 

In January 1948, British Mandatory Officials invited the International Red Cross to help minimize suffering in the conflict on a humanitarian level.  The delegation arrived in March 1948 headed by a Swiss Red Cross Official, Mr. J. de Reynier.  On April 22, 1948 the IRC announced it was setting up security zones known as “Geneva Houses” for women and children under the Red Cross flag.  These “Geneva Houses” were to serve as refuges for non-combats when fighting took place in their vicinity.  The houses were located in the King David Hotel, Terra Sancta and Government House.  These locations were remote from highly populated Jewish areas and as such no Jewish women or children found shelter in these zones.  The Jewish authorities had requested that these “Geneva Homes” be set up in exposed places in highly populated Jewish areas. At the time, the impression was gained that the British had an interest in ensuring the three designated buildings did not fall into Jewish hands and that de Reynier was prepared to collude to this.  Irrespective, the Arab forces under the leadership of the Arab Legion commanded by John Glub, disregarded the presence of the said zones when they bombed the city.  On July 18, 1948, de Reynier demanded that Israeli forces move out of the King David Hotel, which they had moved into as the United Nations had moved out.  De Reynier, on the refusal of the Israeli authorities to hand over the King David Hotel, advised he was intending to discontinue the Red Cross working in Jerusalem.  Dov Joseph advised him that it appeared that the Red Cross wished to give up the Security Zone as well as the YMCA building opposite and as there were no residents in the immediate vicinity so there was no need to maintain the hotel as a refuge for non-existent refugees.  On July 22, 1948 the flag of the IRC was lowered from its office in the YMCA building and Josef’s view was that the IRC had neglected their duty to help the women and children, non-combats, in Jerusalem.  It appeared to him that the IRC were making efforts to place Jerusalem under their control which were the exclusive prerogative of the UN.  The IRC then directed its efforts into setting up security zones but whilst maintaining control of the zones they did not provide help to the refugees there. 

Upon refusal to return the King David Hotel the IRC withdrew into Government House. 

At the end of September 1948 the IRC suddenly departed from their zone around Government House and from the whole of the City of Jerusalem.  Josef relates that the IRC gave no prior notice of their intention despite the assurances given by de Reynier that the area would not be evacuated without prior notice to both sides.  When de Reynier was challenged regarding rumors of the intention, his response was, he had not been instructed to lower the IRC flag.  When pressed for clarification, this was not provided. Josef, as Israeli Military Governor of Jerusalem, wrote to him with regard to previous correspondence from the IRC which indicated the IRC did not intend to leave the building.  No response was forthcoming.

On September 30, 1948 the IRC left Government House without prior notification, as had been promised by them.  Without any consultation with the Israeli Authorities, they handed over Government House to the United Nations Observers who put up the UN flag as the IRC flag was lowered.  Josef met the head of the UN Observers, Colonel Millett at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the Red Cross Zone but Millett didn’t mention the IRC would be leaving.  In Josef’s mind it appeared that the IRC had a secret agreement with the UN and Josef advised Shertok (Moshe Sharett) to issue a formal protest to IRC in Geneva regarding this conduct which was deliberate deception. 

Bernard Wasserstein (3) advises that De Reynier had at an early stage called for Jerusalem to be turned into a Red Cross City.  However, the British High Commissioner simply responded, “He would, until May 15, have authority and the power to take the decision that seemed best to him.”  The IRC plan was reported to the Security Council three days later and the Russian delegate, Gromyko, dismissed it with scorn stating, “Who has ever entrusted the administration of any city or country?  No one could ever have conceived such an idea. And yet we have before us a proposal to make the Red Cross master of Jerusalem.  Needlessly to say this would obviously be tantamount to making two or three countries the masters who would use the IRC as their instrument to establish in Jerusalem the regime they considered necessary.” 

Wasserstein states that the area around Government House had been partly occupied by Egyptian troops who repulsed the unsuccessful attack by Israeli forces.  Subsequently, both Arab and Israeli forces on September 4, 1948 agreed to withdraw from the area and on  September 30 the UN took over the Red Cross zone around the High Commissioner’s residence that subsequently became a UN zone outside the jurisdiction of any state.  Initially, it was guarded by two detachments of the Arab Legion and Israeli soldiers prior to the arrival of UN guards.

Thus the UN area became part of no man’s land in the 1949 Armistice Agreement between Jordan and Israel. A demographic analysis of the location of Jewish populated areas in Jerusalem in 1947/48 (4) clearly shows that “Geneva Houses” were NOT in the vicinity of these areas and hence there is evidence that the IRC had ulterior motives not commensurate with its humanitarian goals.

Documentary evidence relating to ownership and status of Government House complex under the UN between 1948-67 is unclear but it is clear that according to the Armistice Agreement between Israel and Jordan signed at Rhodes in 1949 the area was designated as a demilitarized NO-MANS LAND. Following the Six Day War in 1967 subsequent developments clarify it is not UN property. At some stage prior to ‘67 the UN also erected a structure on the opposite hill, south of the complex on which was located a huge radio transmission mast –Antenna Hill. This being outside the boundaries of Government House complex.

EVENTS FROM 5 JUNE 1967

At 11:25 on the June 5, 1967, without provocation and despite messages from Israel to keep out of the war, the Jordanians attacked and occupied the Government House Complex.

According to UN yearbook 1967(5) “ Despite assurances received from Israel and Jordan by the Chief of Staff of UNTSO that they would respect the inviolability of the UNTSO headquarters in Jerusalem, Jordanian soldiers had occupied the garden of Government House and an exchange of fire had begun between them and Israeli soldiers. The Secretary-General said that he had sent an urgent appeal to the King of Jordan for the immediate removal of Jordanian troops from the Government House compound. The Chief of Staff of UNTSO had reported that the Jordanian soldiers in the Government House compound had been attacked and later driven out by Israeli troops, who had subsequently forcibly occupied Government House and that he and his staff had been escorted into Israel.” That day the UN Secretary General sent the following cable to Israeli Prime Minister Eshkol.

“His Excellency Mr. Levi Eshkol Prime Minister of Israel Jerusalem (Israel) "I understand that Israeli forces have now displaced the forces of Jordan in the Government House Compound in Jerusalem. Whatever the circumstances leading to the Israeli occupation of Government House and its grounds, its continued occupation by Israeli troops is a most serious breach of the undertaking to respect its inviolability. "I therefore request the Government of Israel to restore the grounds and buildings of the Government House Compound urgently to exclusive United Nations control. When this has been done I propose to seek a formal undertaking from both sides to respect UNTSO's occupation of Government House in the future”

In the battle to displace the Arab Legion from Government House 21 IDF soldiers made the supreme sacrifice.

On July 10, 1967 Israel set up a committee what to do with the Government House Complex (5). In the summer when Israel decided to annex Jerusalem, Government House posed a problem. Moshe Dayan told his fellow ministers, we can’t say we’re the sovereign in Jerusalem without behaving as a sovereign, and that includes agreeing with the UN on the status of their building in our sovereign territory. Justice Minister Shapira recognized the UN was hardly about to sign an agreement with Israel accepting the building for its use, since this would entail UN recognition. Eventually they wrote to UN Secretary General that Israel was putting the building and gardens (not the surrounding area) at the UN’s disposal and would not insist on a contract or even official communication. Begin insisted the letter should state specifically that Israel was putting “its building” at the disposal of the UN but lost the vote the next morning. A week later on 14 July 1967, Government House Complex was registered at the Israel Land Registry (Tabu) Reference 445/67 with the status of State Land belonging to the State of Israel.

In April 1971 The UN Secretary General (7) reported there had been an exchange with Israel concerning the status of Jerusalem and the UN premises at Government House. A reply from Israel on March 8, 1971 to UN Secretary General of January 26, 1971 in which it stated “the Government of Israel wishes to place on record its reservations to the various legal and considerations advanced in these two notes, and more particularly to the references in them to claims of the UN “to the occupancy and possession of the whole of the premises ‘of Government House. On the April 12, 1971 the UN Secretary General responded with respect to the January 26, 1971 requesting the return of the whole of the UN premises at Government House as constituted on June 5, 1967, the Secretary General notes that the reply contains no direct response to this request. The Secretary General then reiterated his request for the unreserved return to the UN of the remainder of its Government House premises.

However, the people in Israel did not agree with the decision and this has been a thorn in the side of the state since in essence it gives de facto recognition that the UN rules Jerusalem by staying on the commanding southern heights overlooking the ancient city without any title deed to the property. The buildings were de jure British Mandate property that should have been handed over in 1948 to Israel and not the IRC which illegally passed them over to the UN. This was the duplicity of the UK government which hoped for a ‘Corpus separatum’ according to the UN Partition plan of 1947.

On 31 July 1988, King Hussein announced the severance of all legal and administrative ties with the West Bank that Jordan had illegally occupied from 1948-1967. As such the UN presence in Government House Complex no longer had any legal validity or geopolitical reason save to act to overrule the Jewish right of Jerusalem.

ILLEGAL EXTENSION OF COMPLEX AND ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION BY THE UN

In 1973 the UN constructed a dirt track outside the original Government House Complex (44.5 dunams) extending the area by an additional 33 dunams. Two years later they began using this "annexed" area, for container storage and vehicle parking. By 1990 the first permanent building was constructed in this area. In 1994 the existing and extended area was surrounded by a new fence. Twenty years later a large hanger type building was erected in the extended area. Subsequently, in 2015 a new building was erected in the original area of the Government House Complex to be followed last year by yet another building not far from the western entrance gate to the Complex. In the last year the UN has undertaken work to modify the original Government House structure, externally and internally.

There are no Jerusalem Municipality records regarding applications by the UN for any building permits and no records of the issuance of building permits. In addition, the Jerusalem Urban Planning Scheme delineated a delimitation line for public buildings on the site, and five buildings have been identified as being built outside this demarcation line. Furthermore, as these are historic buildings no modification can take place without the authorization of the appropriate institution of the State of Israel. The organization, Regavim, has in the last two weeks applied to the Israel Supreme Court challenging the inaction of the appropriate government and municipal institutions to take appropriate actions for the UN to comply with the law. Below is an aerial view of the complex, the inner line is the original area and the outer is the extended as current.

1. https://topoint.blogspot.co.il/2008/

2. Dov Joseph “The Faithful City” (Siege of Jerusalem 1948) Simon & Schuster NY 1960

3. Bernard Wasserstein “Divided Jerusalem” (The struggle for the Holy City) Profile Books London 2001

4. Martin Gilbert “Jerusalem” (illustrated Historical Atlas) Board of Deputies London 1977

5. UN Yearbook 1967

6, The English Language Blog of the Israel State Archives (extracted from files 7910/30-א and 12796/12-ג)

7. UN Security Council Document S/10124/Add.1 20 April 1971