Interior Minister Eli Yishai confirmed Monday night that an agreement has been reached that will save the five and a half-story, Jewish-owned, Beit Yehonatan building in eastern Jerusalem from destruction. Yishai said that residents of the building agreed to take down the top two floors, which were built without a permit.

Yishai’s announcement came several hours after the police, fearing a full-fledged Intifada if illegally-built Arab buildings are razed, agreed to a municipality decision to postpone plans to serve eviction notices to residents of Beit Yehonatan. The building is named for Jonathan (Yehonatan)  Pollard, serving a life sentence in an American prison for passing on  classified Pentagon information to Israel.

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