16 families whose residence in on 2 Ha’Atzmaut Street in Bat Yam received an eviction notice on Tuesday evening alerting them that the building is unsafe and that they need to evacuate as the building is in danger of collapse. According to Bat Yam City Hall, the construction project next door exceeded their permits and dug in areas that now pose a significant threat to the apartment complex.

While the residents were looking for other housing options, the contractor from the new project, Victor Bobliel, came to the building that his project endangered and got into a fight with a number of the residents and city officials that were there. Bobliel claimed that the building would not collapse. Bobliel told Ynet news: “The residents received letters three years ago stating that the building was in danger as it was built in the early fifties. I moved my project further away from their building and I am using approved cement and steel in my project. The city’s claims are inaccurate. The city is looking for a sucker to take on the project of strengthening the retaining pillars of this old building. I want the city to bring an impartial engineer, and if it is discovered that the damage was caused because of my project, I’ll take responsibility for it.”

Chana Alush, one of the residents of the building told Ynet: “I received a knock on my door this morning and an official from the city told me that I have to leave because the construction project next door dug too close to our building which is on pillars. They said that our building was in danger of collapsing. But how can I live without an apartment? Where am I supposed to go?”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)