Demolition of Shepherd Hotel in east J'lem begins

             The demolition of the Shepherd Hotel, located in east Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, started at dawn on Sunday after a drawn-out battle over construction rights that drew international condemnation from US President Barack Obama and other leaders around the world over the past few years. The hotel, which was built in the 1930s by the former mufti of Jerusalem Hajj Amin Al Huseini, was bought in 1985 by right-wing millionaire Irving Moskovitz, who has bankrolled other controversial Jewish housing projects in Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Moskovitz, partnering with the Ateret Cohanim organization, plans to turn the complex into 20 apartments for religious Jewish families. The building received a construction permit from the municipality six months ago, the last stamp of approval needed before actual construction began. Construction has been delayed during the past six months over a dispute with the son of Faisal Al-Husseini, a former leader of Jerusalem, who claimed that the family owned part of the parking lot that will serve as an entrance to the future complex. They lost the court case about a month ago, allowing Moskovitz to start demolition of the structure. US Secretary of State Clinton says demolition of Shepherd Hotel in favor of Jewish housing units 'undermines peace efforts to achieve the two-state solution'. Earlier Sunday, European Union, British Foreign Office also condemned construction in east Jerusalem. (23,00)