Jerusalem

A WORK IN PROGRESS

Information on East Jerusalem
(provided by the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, August 09)

• In 1967, Israel unilaterally expanded the municipal boundaries of East Jerusalem from the original 6.5 square kilometers during Jordanian rule to 72 square kilometers and illegally annexed this area. Of this expanded area, Israel has expropriated 47% of Palestinian land for exclusive Israeli settlement use, settler roads and infrastructure, designated 40% of undeveloped land as “Green Areas”, and left only 13% for Palestinian use.

• There are approximately 185,000 illegal settlers living in occupied East Jerusalem, and 260,000 Palestinians. Palestinians account for 58% of the population of occupied East Jerusalem, yet due to near impossible restrictions Israel imposes on building permits for Palestinians, they are confined to just 13% of the expanded Jerusalem municipality as defined by Israel. Israeli settlers form 42% of the total population and occupy 35% of the same area.

• Israel has stepped up its policy of house demolitions in East Jerusalem. There are now hundreds of pending house demolition orders and ongoing plans for the destruction of homes in Silwan (88 units), Ras Khamis (55 units), and Al Thuri (32 units). • Israel has designated 28 Palestinian homes, housing 40 Palestinian families, for eviction in Sheikh Jarrah to make way for the planned Israeli settlement of ‘Shimon HaTsadiq’. This new settlement, if completed, will consist of 200 housing units on 18 dunams of land, and would create geographical contiguity between the Israeli settlements of French Hill and Neve Ya’kov with the Old City in East Jerusalem, further fragmenting Palestinian East Jerusalem and preempting a negotiated solution to Jerusalem, which is the corner stone of any peace agreement.

• Sheikh Jarrah is also the target of a second planned Israeli settlement consisting of 90 housing units to be built on the current site of the Shepherd Hotel – including six buildings of eight floors each, as well as a synagogue, a kindergarten and a park for children. The whole complex will be approximately 10,000 square meters in size and accommodate 500 new settlers.

• Israel has also significantly stepped up its confiscation of Jerusalem ID cards. In 2006 alone, 1,363 Jerusalem ID cards were confiscated by Israel, representing an increase of 500% compared to 2005 ID card confiscations.

• Since the beginning of Israel’s occupation in 1967, the UN Security Council has reiterated that all Israeli measures and actions aimed at changing the status of East Jerusalem, including its annexation and the application of Israeli laws, administration and jurisdiction, are in direct contravention of international law and are therefore null and void.

• These measures are also in violation of Israel’s Road Map commitments renewed at the Annapolis Conference, including a freeze on all settlement activity and a halt to all home demolitions and evictions.

NEWS

• Chicago Tribune
  In demographic race for Jerusalem, Palestinian discovers home is no longer home,
  Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
  Boston Globe,
  Washington Post:
  For Jerusalem Palestinians, home not always home,
  all 3 article versions by Karin Laub, Associated Press (2 August 2008) – this article describes how Israel is attempting to win the demographic race for Jerusalem using inhumane methods such as land policy, home demolitions, wall, discrimination in building permitting, etc., and yet is still losing.
• Washington Post
  Jerusalem bulldozer killer acted alone: police, by Rebecca Harrison and Ori Lewis, Reuters (6 July 2008). This article mainly describes Israeli plans to destroy the family home of the Palestinian driver of the bulldozer including allowing demonstrators in support of demolition at the home by settlers and others. The article also describes the separation wall, and the annexation of East Jerusalem as not recognized by the international community.

ONLINE REPORTS

• Huffington Post - “No, They Can’t: Palestinians Can’t Live and Build in West Jerusalem”, by Hagit Ofran (30 March 2010).
• Peace Now - “67% of Israelis Support an 2-state solution with split Jerusalem with the Palestinians” (29 March 2010) – in addition, “67% of Israelis (63% of Israeli Jews) – in favor of such an agreement. 50% of Likud and Lieberman voters in elections in 2009 – supported such an agreement. Amongst Shas voters – 42% support with 55% opposed.”.
• Peace Now - “Jerusalem Municipality approves building permit for 20 residential units at East Jerusalem’s Shepard Hotel, Sheikh Jarrah” (23 March 2010).
• Peace Now - East Jerusalem Construction Violations By Israeli Settlers – City’s Police Avoid Enforcement by Hagit Ofran (17 December 2009).
• Association for Civil Rights in Israel - “ACRI Report: Failing Education in East Jerusalem” (1 September 2009) – quote – “a status report on the Arab-Palestinian school system in East Jerusalem as the 2009-2010 school year begins”.
• PLO Negotiations Affairs Dept. - “Press Release: Dr. Erakat on plans to build new settlement units on the site of the Shepherd Hotel” (24 March 2010).
• PLO Negotiations Affairs Dept. - “Press Release: Dr. Erakat on the killing of Palestinian civilians and continuation of Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem” (22 March 2010).
• Adalah - “Responding to Adalah, Justice Ministry Stresses that Israel is Fully Entitled to Sell Land in East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights to Private Parties” (18 March 2010).
• Amnesty International - “Israel urged to stop settlement expansion in East Jerusalem” (10 March 2010).
• PLO Negotiations Affairs Dept. - “Press Release: Dr. Erakat: “Israeli aggression in East Jerusalem is the Israeli response to the Arab readiness to engage in proximity talks”” (5 March 2010).
• Arab Association for Human Rights - “Campaign to Save Mamilla Jerusalem Cemetery” (10 February 2010).
• Adalah - “Dispossession and Eviction in Jerusalem: The Cases and Stories of Sheikh Jarrah”, by David Hughes, Nathan Derejko & Alaa Mahajna (December 2009).
• Peace Now - “House Demolitions in East Jerusalem” (18 November 2009).
• Human Rights Watch - Israel: Stop East Jerusalem Home Demolitions – 57 Palestinians Forced From Their Homes in One Week (6 November 2009).
• United Nations – Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem (6 November 2009).
• United Nations – Ban calls on Israel to halt eviction of Palestinians in East Jerusalem (3 November 2009).
• Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions – House demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem (15 July 2008) – “COHRE calls on Israel to cease carrying out the demolition of homes as a means of collective punishment in violation of international law. COHRE is particularly concerned by recent statements made by high ranking Israeli officials that the demolition of homes of the families of suspected terrorists in East Jerusalem is permissible by law, when the opposite is true”.
• Association for Civil Rights in Israel – East Jerusalem – Facts and Figures, by (June 2008).
• UN Office of Coordination of Human Rights Affairs – Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan (21 May 2008).
• World Health Organization - Health Conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Occupied Syrian Golan (13 May 2008).
• Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions – No Place Like Home, by Dr. Meir Margalit (March 2007) (an in-depth report on house demolitions in East Jerusalem
• United Nations - Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Report on Jenin (1 August 2002).

ARTICLES (more listed under SETTLEMENTS and LAND DEALS)

QUMSIYEH, Mazin “What is happening in Jerusalem: History and change”, 21 January 2010
FLEMING, Eileen: “The many layers of NaHalat Shimon beg the question: Where’s the money coming from?” Pal Telegraph, 9Aug09
DERFNER, Larry: “Rattling the Cage – Sheikh Jarrah says it all”, The Jerusalem Post, 5Aug09
KENNARD, Matt: “Taking over Jerusalem”, The Guardian, 5Aug09
HAARETZ EDITORIAL: “Israel must allow evicted Arab families to return home”, Haaretz, 5Aug09
LEVY, Gideon: “From Sheikh Jarrah to Sheikh Muwannis”, Haaretz, 6Aug09
IR AMIM: “Evictions and settlement plans in Sheikh Jarrah” – July 09
ERSHIED, Sami: “What is behind Jerusalem’s First Master Plan since 1967?”, Huffington Post, 29Jun09

VIDEOS:

Aljazeera’s Inside Story: The battle for Jerusalem, 6Dec09
Walid Khalidi at the UN on Jerusalem Parts 1-5, 6Dec09
Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem, 7Aug09

AUDIO:
MAKDISI, Saree: “Jerusalem: The Occupation of Memory”, public lecture, The University of Melbourne. 16 September 2009

MONTHLY UPDATES ON THE SITUATION IN EAST JERUSALEM

The Jerusalem Center for Women (JCW) provides a monthly situation report of the Occupation of East jerusalem and the human rights violations caused by the Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing of East Jerusalem’s Palestinian residents.  The information is gleaned from the most reliable sources available, including UN updates, several different news agencies and information from other organisations active in East Jerusalem.

NOVEMBER 2009 JCW Monitoring Jerusalem – Nov. Issue

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