In an effort to legalize the building, Yishai said he intends to ask the Jerusalem District Building and Planning Committee, to vote on the matter next week.

Officials said they doubted Yishai will succeed because zoning approval for the building would take a long time. Yishai told reporters that he believed the majority of council members would vote in favor of legalaizing the building which was built without the proper permits.

On Monday, municipality inspectors who were to have issued eviction orders in accordance with a court decision to families living in the building, postponed the visit,  after Jerusalem police said the municipality failed to coordinate the move with them.
 

Once eviction papers are served, the families have a week to pack their belongings and vacate the premises.

City councilman Elisha Peleg told reporters he was pleased with the delay.. Peleg and deputy Mayor David Hadari both said they hoped the issue of illegal building in Silwan, whether for Jews or Arabs will be settled once and for all.
 

The Jerusalem District Court has already turned down the residents' appeal to strike down the evacuation order so that they can win approval for a new building plan.
 

Beit Yehonatan has been the center of a struggle between Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and State Attorney Moshe Lador.

Last month, Lador asked Barkat to uphold a court order to evacuate the building and seal it. Barkat refused to. However the municipality’s attorney Yossi Havilio joined Lador’s efforts, and advised Barkat to act.

The mayor then announced last week, he would go ahead with the evacuation orders but also said demolition orders would be served to 200 illegally built Arab owned houses in the same neighborhood.
 

Beit Yehonatan was named after imprisoned Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.