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june 2009 jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies introduction throughout history jerusalem has thrived as an important political and cultural center and as a religious focal point for the three monotheistic religions this status has resulted in numerous struggles taking place in an attempt to possess this significant city from the outset of the occupation in 1967 successive israeli governments have zealously and incessantly pursued one major goal namely the `judaization of east jerusalem a policy of changing its arab character and creating a new geopolitical reality in order to guarantee territorial demographic and religious control over all of city they have shared their pursuit of this goal with various settler groups and while the former has concentrated on expropriating palestinian land and building large `official settlements in east jerusalem the latter have focused on `secretly infiltrating arab neighborhoods as well as archaeological sites in and around the old city their motivation being both messianic and nationalistic in nature it was during the camp david ii talks held in july 2000 that jerusalem was for the very first time placed on the negotiation table agreement however was not forthcoming and jerusalem consequently remains at the heart of the arab-israeli conflict and one of the most complex issues still awaiting a just solution however recent years have seen an increase in the number of israel s elaborate geopolitical strategies to consolidate its exclusive sovereignty over jerusalem therefore the parameters of a political division of the city that bill clinton laid out what is arab should be palestinian and what is jewish should be israeli become meaningless in the months following the november 2007 annapolis conference israeli construction in jerusalem and beyond its boundaries significantly accelerated and increased often through or in close cooperation with settler organizations out of a total of approximately 470,000 settlers in the occupied palestinian territories 40 or 190,000 are currently living in east jerusalem with another 96,000 in settlements around jerusalem a peace now report released in march 2009 shows that israel plans to build 5,722 new housing units in east jerusalem alone in addition recent peace now calculations have shown that almost 2,000 settlers now live in outposts in the heart of the palestinian neighborhoods of east jerusalem this bulletin describes current israeli plans trends and undertakings in jerusalem it provides the facts figures means and policies employed by israel to strengthen its grip on the city it shows how israel is trying to exclude jerusalem from any future negotiations by making sure that the city can never be divided along any lines and hindering any palestinian plans to develop east jerusalem and declare it the capital of a future palestinian state jerusalem s municipal boundaries 1947-2000 ramallah qalandia airport beit hanina shu fat deir yassin jerusalem ein karim old city abu dis malha beit safafa sur baher 0 5 km map jan de jong 2000 bethlehem while the focus of the bulletin is on settlement related topics it should be noted that israel s ongoing efforts at foiling diplomacy are further aided by its discriminatory residency rights and housing policies closure and permit regime as well as house demolitions and the separation barrier municipal area of jerusalem since 1967 in thousand dunums source statistical yearbook of jerusalem 2000 contents 2 5 9 11 12 16 19 the old city the old city s environs and the holy basin area the holy basin area beyond the old city building new and expansion of settlements within the municipal boundaries overview map the settlement enterprise beyond the municipal boundaries greater jerusalem other related policies and plans palestinian academic society for the study of international affairs jerusalem tel +972-2-6264426 fax +972-2-6282819 e-mail passia@passia.org website www.passia.org po box 19545 jerusalem passia

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies the old city successive israeli governments since 1967 have consistently carried out the policy of surrounding the inner core of jerusalem with areas of jewish settlement the old city and its immediate environs has seen a significant increase in governmental support for the activities of extremist settler groups such as el `ad focusing on silwan ateret cohanim focusing on the old city and seeking to rebuild the temple on the site of al-aqsa mosque hay vekayam and amana all of which enjoy wide public support in regard to their efforts to take over as much palestinian property as possible currently jewish settlers either hold sites that they have recently taken over or plan to occupy in the following areas the old city s muslim quarter including the burj al-laqlaq area near herod s gate the christian quarter st john s hospice neot david and the petra and new imperial hotels on omar ibn khattab square just inside jaffa gate the `city of david and the al-bustan area in silwan beit orot on the mount of olives musrara between damascus gate and hanevi im street where jewish settlers currently occupy two properties in the muslim and christian quarters of the old city alone it is estimated that some 900 settlers more than half of them yeshiva students already control some 75-80 homes or complexes some of these house yeshivas kollels and torah study centers peace now may 2009 according to the israel construction and housing ministry there are currently approximately 75 families and 600 yeshiva students in settler enclaves in the old city outside of the jewish quarter and plans are underway to build a large new settlement 35 housing units within the muslim quarter eu heads of mission report on east jerusalem march 2009 the israeli government has handed de facto control of the large national park that surrounds the old city from the south and the east including its religious and historic sites to el `ad in 2002 via the israel nature and parks authority there are plans for another national park northeast of the old city to be placed under the control of jewish extremists in 2006 ateret cohanim was handed a project co-funded by the israeli ministry of infrastructure from monies set aside for the rehabilitation of quarries the project was meant to `restore a 3,000-year-old quarry running 280 m under the old city from herod s gate toward al-haram ash-sharif and transform it into a tourist site americans for peace now the battle for jerusalem s old city and holy basin settlements in focus vol 2 no 8 may 2006 in this context the fact that el `ad s evyatar cohen the director of the visitors center is also the director of the israel nature and parks authority s jerusalem district speaks volumes in may 2009 ir amim revealed a secret government plan through the jerusalem development authority and in conjunction with settler organizations to surround the old city with nine parks tourist sites and pathways in a bid to consolidate its occupation of the area.the plan is part of decision mir tsn sheikh jarrah kidron salient ik p ark israeli projects in the old city and the holy basin area wadi al-joz tzurim park northern park adjacent area 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 planned settlement burj al-laqlaq area 1996 tunnel hamam al-ein tunnel mughrabi gate bridge israeli excavations silwan tunnel givati parking lot excavations site of the planned hotel area expropriated for the reconstitution of an extended jewish quarter 1968 major religious and public buildings structurally damaged building due to israeli excavations existing israeli tunnel planned under construction israeli tunnel suwaneh 8 1 king s valley holy sepulcher haram ash-sharif 2 3 4 5 kidron valley mt of olives park al-buraq wailing wall 6 7 mt of olives visitors center planned existing national parks mt zion park city of david si lw mt zion outskirts an bustan area ras al-amud the sambuski cemetery 2

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies no 4090 prioritize bolstering the city of jerusalem which was endorsed by the sharon cabinet in august 2005 to change the geopolitical status quo in east jerusalem and allocated an overall investment of nis 480 million from 2006-2013 for the development of the old city basin and the mount of olives in addition excavations are carried out in the existing western wall tunnel underneath the haram ash-sharif compound which have caused damage to several adjacent properties including the waqf office ribat al-kurd the historic uthmani and al-tankazi schools and led in february 2009 to the collapse of a un-affiliated school injuring 17 schoolchildren work also continues on a 100-m tunnel from the hamam al-ein area muslim quarter towards the al-aqsa compound in oct 2008 the ohel yitzhak synagogue was opened in the same area it will be connected to the network of tunnels u al-haram ash-sharif and the moroccan quarter the site is holy to muslims as they believe that prophet mohammed was taken in a night journey from the noble sanctuary in mecca to alaqsa mosque in jerusalem isra wa miraj qur an 17:1 jews meanwhile refer to the wall as the kotel or wailing wall mabka in arabic a direct reference to the jewish mourning of the destruction of the temple they also like to refer to it as the western wall ­ even though it forms only a part of the entire western wall of al-aqsa comisraeli excavations at al-buraq wall 1968 pound whilst claiming that the entire area was once a part of the destroyed second temple al-buraq wall forms part of the al-aqsa mosque compound a particular problematic spot is al-haram ash-sharif which has provoked great religious passion throughout the history of jerusalem the 36-acre haram ash-sharif noble sanctuary is the third holiest site in islam the compound which for 16 months acted as the first qiblah prayer direction comprises the walls and minarets that mark the parameters of alaqsa mosque the aesthetically magnificent dome of the rock as-sakhra mosque historical islamic schools the western corridors subterranean prayer halls fountains gardens the southern most building erroneously referred to as al-aqsa mosque and numerous other domes and structures such as the dome of the grammarians which today hosts the offices of the chief qadi for jews the area is the `temple mount i.e the site of the first destroyed around 587 bce and second destroyed in 70 ce temples in jerusalem as well as the site of the third and final temple to be rebuilt with the coming of the messiah jewish and muslim confrontations over the site began in the 19th century and continue to today tensions have escalated a mid-18th century ottoman `status quo arrangement forbade any construction at or changes to initially christian holy places it was later extended by the british mandate authorities 192247 to include al-buraq wall in jerusalem and rachel s tomb on the outskirts of bethlehem disputes between muslims and jews over access to al-buraq wall were bound to occur and escalated in august 1929 the conclusions of the subsequent british inquiry commission presented in december 1930 determined that although jews would have free access to the wall for the purpose of performing their devotions at all times ownership of the wall as well as the pavement in front of the adjacent moroccan quarter belonged to the muslims as did the sole proprietary right to the wall in the past decades and resulted in numerous political crises and violent clashes these included inter alia the riots of 1929 caused by a dispute over prayer arrangements at al-buraq wall the destruction of the entire moroccan mughrabi quarter in the wake of the war of 1967 the unrest of 1969 that followed the attempt by an australian tourist to burn down al-aqsa mosque the 1990 al-aqsa massacre resulting from attempts by jewish extremists to lay the cornerstone for the temple the unrest that followed the opening of the hasmonean tunnel by the israeli government in 1996 and the eruption of the second al-aqsa intifada in september 2000 sparked by the provocative visit of ariel sharon to al-haram ash-sharif most recently the excavation work that israel began in february 2007 near al-buraq wall see box adjacent to al-haram ash-sharif has come to represent yet another ominous move on the part of israel to `judaize jerusalem the work destruction/reconstruction of a historic pedestrian bridge some 75 m long connecting the mughrabi quarter see box to the mughrabi gate sparked outrage among muslims around the world at least part of the reason for this was because the gate has been used in the past by israeli forces and various jewish groups as their main point of entry into the al-aqsa compound 3

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies the mughrabi gate an al-haram ash-sharif gate facing westward is closed to muslims and exclusively under the control of the israeli authorities while all other gates of the haram ash-sharif are open excavations at mughrabi gate to muslims and administered by the islamic waqf though their access is regulated by the israeli police after the collapse of the northern wall of the pathway to the gate in early 2004 a temporary wooden bridge was built in july 2005 and the israeli authorities began planning the new pathway in january 2007 israeli prime minister ehud olmert approved the start of the archaeological excavations on the pathway which began a month later the municipality s regional committee for construction and planning officially approved the construction of the bridge only in may 2008 see also map on page 2 the mughrabi or moroccan quarter al-harat al-magharbah or al-harat ash-sharaf was first constructed over 700 years ago by the ayyubids and mamluks following its conquest of the old city in june 1967 israel demolished the entire quarter home to some 650 people most of whom were relocated to the shu fat refugee camp israel then expanded the small 120 m2 area in front of al-buraq/the wailing wall where jews were allowed to pray since the 16th century reign of the ottoman sultan suleiman the magnificent into a 20,000 m2 plaza sian orthodox church in 1982 the project is awaiting approval from the regional planning committee of the ministry of interior the plan was first disclosed in 1990 by then housing minister ariel sharon who announced the intended construction of 200 housing units at the site another plan was ratified during the tenure of prime minister netanyahu this time envisioning the construction of a religious school two six-floor residential buildings parking lots and two underground tunnels in may 1998 settlers from ateret cohanim protected by israeli soldiers laid the `cornerstone for the new settlement burj al-laqlaq from the outside and moved caravans to the area however due to the ensuing confrontations with palestinians the israeli government halted the process in june 1998 but `compensated the settlers by allowing excavation works at the site somewhat ironically the work carried out by the ministries of infrastructure and antiquities exposed the stone walls of buildings that made up an arab neighborhood dating to the 7th century umayyad rule the ultimate aim of the plan is to gain another foothold within the old city part of the plan also includes the expansion of a nearby enclave where two jewish families live in red-roofed bungalows adjacent to the home of the palestinian qara in family who were repeatedly denied a permit to build a second storey in order to accommodate their extended family the quarter in front of al-buraq wall prior l and after r its demolition u burj al-laqlaq and others another point of contention is the burj al-laqlaq stork s tower area in the north-eastern corner of the old city near herod s gate bab as-sahira where the west jerusalem municipality approved in july 2005 a town planning scheme for the construction of 21 housing units and a synagogue on a 3.8-dunum site so far over ten structures have been demolished in the area including housing units and a center for the disabled in preparation of the plan s implementation the plan represents a technical and engineering violation of old city regulations since burj al-laqlaq is not only an archeological site but also a `green area where building of any kind is prohibited see also map on page 2 the israel land administration ila owns 1.9 dunums absentee property of the land in question while himanuta ltd a subsidiary of the jewish national fund owns 1.3 dunums which were reportedly acquired privately from the white rus another move to strengthen the jewish presence in the area was the reopening of the ohel yitzhak synagogue in the old city between the cotton merchants gate and the heavy chain gate some 80 meters from al-haram ash-sharif in october 2008.the synagogue originally built at the beginning of the 20th century apparently on property purchased by hungarian jews from the al-khalidi family was abandoned by the ultra-orthodox shomrei hachomot guardians of the walls in 1938 in the wake of arab-jewish violence it was later blown up by the jordanians the complex is owned by cherna moskowitz the wife of us jewish millionaire irving moskowitz who funds israeli settler groups with proceeds from his businesses moskowitz purchased the building rights from shomrei hachomot in the early 1990s and also financed the refurbishing of the synagogue in 2004 the israel antiquities authority began excavating under ohel yitzhak with the aim of creating an underground passage linking the western wall tunnels to the synagogue in focusing their activities on the old city and the so-called holy basin area see textbox the settlers are attempting to form a string of settlements that will eventually encircle the haram ash-sharif area 4

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies u the concept of the holy basin sometimes referred to as the historical basin was introduced by israel during the camp david negotiations in july 2000 and picked up at the taba talks in early 2001 it applies to the area embracing the old city of jerusalem and the adjacent vicinity the mount of olives at-tur mount zion silwan city of david wadi al-hilweh/kidron valley and the shimon hatzadik tomb area in sheikh jarrah ­ where one finds places that are holy to jews muslims and christians the idea was to create a special international administration for the area with the task of keeping order and ensuring freedom of worship as well as open access to holy sites the palestinians rejected the proposal which they viewed as yet another attempt on the part of israel to claim sovereignty in an area that is both predominantly palestinian and according to international law and un resolutions under occupation the palestinians demanded sovereignty of the area instead sheikh jarrah shepherd s hotel karm al-mufti plans are now underway to expand town planning scheme 2591 of 1984 construction of 20 housing units and establish shepherds hotel the old city s environs and the holy basin area the sheikh jarrah silwan wadi al-joz and mount scopus area has been targeted by israeli settlement activity since the pre-1948 years when zionist groups began building the hebrew university complex on mount scopus apart from the settlement activities associated with the area a number of official israeli sponsored projects have been established over the years these include the construction of the israeli government buildings the police headquarters the hebrew university complex and the adjacent french hill settlement according to data from the ir amim organization about 2,500 israelis now live in the holy basin and the old city outside the jewish quarter about 400 of them in the `city of david and a similar number in ras al-amud a new jewish settlement in sheikh jarrah including 90 apartments a synagogue and kindergarten town plan scheme 11536 on land belonging to the shepherd s hotel a construction request to this end was submitted to the west jerusalem municipality in late october 2005 the area is known to palestinians as karm al-mufti due to its having belonged to grand mufti haj amin al-husseini before it was seized by the israelis in 1967 despite the fact that the heirs of the rightful owner were still alive and long-standing legal residents of jerusalem and the building had functioned as a hotel from 1945 the land was apparently acquired by jewish millionaire irving moskowitz from part of the interior the israeli custodian of karm al-mufti land and the foreground ministry complex in absentee property in 1985 ha aretz 3 nov 2005 it was subsequently rented to the israeli border police and is now administered by moskowitz ateret cohanim and c&m properties in november 2006 the israeli committee for the preservation of historic sites recommended the demolition of the hotel on the grounds that it had no special architectural value 1 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2 op mt sc us regency hotel government quarter planned amana hq border police hq glassman campus sheperds hotel karm al-mufti hebrew university mt scopus tunnel 4 shei ah rr ja 6 kh 7 8 oz 5 l j wadi a 9 5

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies beneath the actual 30-dunum hotel compound the karm almufti land also known as `mufti s grove or in hebrew as `kerem hamufti stretches for an additional 110 dunums downhill mostly cultivated with olive trees towards the site of the israeli ministry of interior complex initially earmarked to house a palestinian girls school on the edges of the wadi al-joz industrial zone the ila is working together with ateret cohanim to gain control of the land and to transfer it to the association without a tender as outlined in a petition submitted in august 2007 to the high court by the palestinian landowners the arab hotels company the ila has signed a contract with ateret cohanim for the agricultural cultivation of the land even though the association has no experience in such work the land that the ila leased apparently does not belong to it and the interior ministry recognizes that the palestinian landowners have an interest in it in march 2007 40 years after declaring its intentions to do so the state formally expropriated the land at the request of the ila former finance minister abraham hirchson signed on the plan to expropriate the property under the rubric of acquisition for public needs ha aretz 20 aug 2007 thus reclassifying its green area status see textbox to make way for the planned jewish neighborhood a few months later the government leased the land to ateret cohanim in december 2007 responding to a petition submitted in august by the arab hotels company contesting ownership of the land the high court of justice set a september 2008 hearing date which was subsequently delayed and has not yet taken place the plan is motivated by the desire to establish the missing link between the israeli government complex north of the shepherd s hotel and the shimon hatzadik tomb area to the south green area are areas zoned by israeli municipal authorities in 1982 the alleged owners filed suits claiming the property rights against the 28 palestinian families whose appointed lawyer tosya cohen agreed with the settlers to recognize their ownership of the land in return for granting the families the status of protected residents requiring them to pay rent shimon hatzadik site occupied by settlers to the owners the sheikh jarrah families refused to accept the deal and refused to pay rent which triggered the issuing of the first eviction orders a newly hired lawyer husni abu hussein soon revealed that the settlers associations did not own the land and asked the land registration department to revoke the settlers 1972 registration which they agreed to do in 2006 and to issue an order to restate the rightful owner of the land which they refused under the 1996 netanyahu government shimon hatzadik was given `new jewish neighborhood status which entitled it to huge amounts of annual funding for private security services in october 1998 yeshiva students joined by rightwing mk rabbi benny elon moved into the synagogue directly above the tomb in order to renovate it local palestinians protested in vain and since december 1998 the synagogue has been used as a kollel advanced torah learning institute and for regular shabbat prayer services in february 1999 the `settlers of zion association led by mk elon illegally acquired six homes in the area and two months later the first jews moved in this was part of elon and ariel sharon s plan to plant settler spots in between palestinian neighborhoods to make jerusalem indivisible in 1999 settlers seized part of the home of the al-kurd family living there since 1956 since then settlers shared the house which they claimed was along with 27 other nearby homes jewish property the palestinian families concerned say the land belongs to the suleiman darwish hijazi family in april 2000 palestinians clashed with the settlers and israeli police officers when the former attempted to take over another 5-dunum plot of land owned by the abu jibna family claiming that a cave in which ramban/rabbi nahmanides used to pray is located there in sheikh jarrah threatened area may 2000 the jerusalem district court ruled that the cave is a jewish holy site and ordered the owners to remove fences and allow jews to pray there in 2001 settlers began occupying an extension of the al-kurd home which had been declared built illegally by israeli authorities the al-kurd family went to court and an eviction order was issued against the settlers another court hearing in 2001 ordered several palestinian families out of their homes but did not allow nahalat shimon to take over a 2006 high court ruling determined that neither the va ad sefaradi nor the darwish family could prove either ownership that the settlers claim was void and based on false documents and that the expelled families thus should be allowed to return to their homes but the struggle continued house jerusalem settlement update report may 2000 for open space in which no construction is allowed so as to maintain a minimum of greenery in a city however in the case of east jerusalem although none of the land designated for `open spaces is actually planted green areas are used strategically often to block palestinian development in the vicinity of settlements the move restricts palestinian construction in the city and enables land to be absorbed later for settlement expansion if needed good examples of settlement-turned-green areas are jabal abu ghneim har homa and shu fat ramot shlomo it is estimated that some 44 including 6 assigned for infrastructure and services that remain under municipal control of palestinian land in east jerusalem is designated by planning and zoning schemes as green and open spaces orient shimon hatzadik the tomb of shimon hatzadik simon the just a high priest during the time of the second temple and its surrounding area is said to have been purchased by jews who settled there until 1948 when the neighborhood was evacuated the tomb was declared a jewish holy place by the un in november 1947 in 1956 the un and jordanian government began to house 28 palestinian refugee families from the 1948 war in the area following the 1967 war settlers began claiming ownership of the land and in 1972 two jewish foundations a sephardi jews association vaad sephardi haredit and the knesset yisrael association were successful in falsely claiming ownership and registering the land in their names with the israeli land registrar the two organizations later sold their claim to the nahalat shimon settler group 6

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies in 2007 another court ordered the settler families to leave the al-kurd home because they had built without a permit but they refused and the israeli police did not enforce the order instead the high court issued a judgment in favor of the settlers on 14 july 2008 ordering the expulsion of the al-kurd family within 24 hours.the move triggered an official complaint from the us state department to the israeli government questioning the legality of the terms on which the settler group claimed to have purchased the land eventually on 9 november 2008 the al-kurd family ­ and not the settlers was forcibly expelled clearly in a bid to pave the way for the takeover of another 27 nearby houses inhabited by over 500 palestinians and to proceed with the plans to establish a 200-unit settlement over 18 dunums next to the tomb town plan scheme 12705 submitted by the nahalat shimon settler organization in late august 2008 the move will create a jewish continuum surrounding the old destruction of the al-kurd tent city meanwhile the al-kurds whose family head passed away some two weeks after their eviction live in a nearby tent which israeli authorities have torn down at least five times so far on 19 march 2009 ha aretz reported that a document uncovered in ottoman archives in ankara has now confirmed that jews never purchased the disputed land and that palestinians are the rightful owners it is doubtful though that israeli courts will accept the document s validity as a recent case shows when the israeli high court of justice ruled on 17 may 2009 that the iwa and hanoun families must evacuate their respective homes in sheikh jarrah within two months so the properties can be turned over to the nahalat shimon in a related development the jerusalem planning and building committee on 20 april 2009 granted the final permit to the settler group amana for the construction of its headquarters in sheikh jarrah the move is considered illegal since apparently no tender had being published palestinian neighbors and the french hospital have filed an objection with the local planning committee against the planned three-story building to be located near the french hospital across the street from the central police headquarters peace now settler compound in east jerusalem receives final construction permit april 2009 see also satellite map on page 5 the glassman campus a few meters southwest of the shimon hatzadik site opposite the olive tree hotel and in front of the al-hayat medical center an empty plot was fenced off not long ago and a sign reading the max and gianna glassman campus was put up apparently the plan is to build a conference center at the site u wadi al-joz another plan for expanding jewish presence in east jerusalem was approved by the jerusalem planning and building committee on 2 june 2009 the site in question is close to the northeastern corner of the old city along the street leading to suwaneh overlooking the mount of olives and the kidron valley the scheme is part of the master zoning plan for the old city and foresees the destruction of the existing vegetable/wholesale market locally known as al-hisbe and the building of a complex consisting of a nine-storey 200-room hotel and a commercial center in its stead apparently current store owners will be given the opportunity to rent space in the new complex but it is unlikely they will be able to afford it implementation of the plan which has been submitted for public comment also will involve the demolition of a palestinian kindergarten the plot of land is occupied territory but owned by the jerusalem municipality which earmarked it as open/public space and the implementing agency for the project is the jerusalem development authority part of wadi al-joz with the site of the planned hotel u silwan silwan is a palestinian neighborhood stretching from the southeast corner of jerusalem s old city following wadi al-hilweh referred to on israeli maps as the kidron valley as it runs between the densely populated hillsides of the mount of olives and mount zion and sloping down through the desert along the slopes of jabal al-mukabber it is a hotbed of confrontation where the struggle over space and presence is steadily multiplying and where currently some 400 settlers live amidst approximately 50,000 palestinian residents large tracts of land in the area which israel seized illegally after the 1967 war were purchased in the 1920s by baron de rothschild and subsequently administered by the jewish national fund which has since assisted settler groups in their efforts to take control of the area over 55 of the land is now in the hands of el `ad it should be noted here that a 1992 government investigation klugman commission named after its head director general of the justice ministry chaim klugman found that settler groups including el `ad had taken over palestinian property by continuously using forged documents misusing the law governing absentee property and with tens of millions of shekels of public money transferred to them by government agencies without oversight 7

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies israeli blueprints propose the development of an archaeological village in place of the existing palestinian homes in silwan referred to by israelis as the `city of david or `ir david the el `ad settler group which occupied the first two homes to be taken over in silwan in 1991 claims to have already seized over 55 of the `ir david area el `ad continues to expand its activities and tighten its grip on silwan acting as a quasi-governmental body controlling tourism in the area as well as maintaining full authority over archeological activities in 2007 settlers began unsanctioned and illegal subterranean excavations to expose what appears to be a herodian-era road on 15 january 2008 11 settler families protected by israeli troops took over 11 houses in the wadi al-hilweh area it increased the total number of seized houses in silwan to over 40 and the number of settler families to 70 in may 2008 the west jerusalem municipality begun to approve a plan submitted by the el `ad association for a new housing complex including 10 apartments a synagogue kindergarten a library and underground parking at the entrance to silwan known as the `givati site the land in question is located 200 meters from the old city walls in the wadi hilweh neighborhood and belongs to the ila which leased it to el `ad see also map on p 2 ha aretz 31 may 2005 the plan was shelved amid international criticism four years ago but was revived under the new mayor nir barkat in february 2009 the jerusalem district planning commission rejected a town plan scheme put forward by the palestinian residents for continued urban development of the area s historic sites and green spaces a related settler project is the unlicensed excavation of a tunnel to lead from the siloam pool to the old city which also began in 2008 but was frozen by an interim order of the high court after residents filed a petition a few meters al-abbasiyya buildings further up from al-bustan is another case of forced removal on 5 march 2009 the west jerusalem municipality issued demolition orders without prior warning for two large 4 and 6-storey apartment blocs alabbasiyya buildings the orders gave 34 families over 250 people 10 days to evacuate their homes under the pretext of illegal construction because only the first three floors of each building are licensed in february 2009 the israeli army bulldozed four dunums of land belonging to the abbasi family near al-aqsa mosque-area to establish a parking lot for visitors to the `city of david a related judaization strategy is the conversion of street names into jewish ones an example of this is the changing of the name of `wadi hilweh street to `ma alot ir david street it should be mentioned that according to the so-called clinton parameters presented during the 2000 israeli-palestinian negotiations silwan was supposed to become part of the future palestinian capital city of d avid on 30 july 2008 the jerusalem district court rejected a petition by right-wing settlers and ordered them to immediately evacuate a seven-story building they call beit yehonatan in the heart of silwan which was built illegally by ateret cohanim however the building has still not been demolished another focus of rightwing groups is the entire al-bustan neighborhood in silwan called `emek hamelech or `king s valley by the jews where 88 houses home to some 1,000 palestinians silwan al-bustan area are slated for demolition on the grounds that the area had been zoned as `green area and was thus off-limits for construction purposes on 22 february 2009 the west jerusalem municipality handed demolition orders to the residents asking them to evacuate within 72 hours for having built without proper licensing.to date two of the houses have been destroyed the land in the al-bustan neighborhood is privately owned the houses were mainly constructed in the 1980s and 1990s but some were built even before the 1967 occupation of jerusalem the recent threats are part of an attempt to implement the `king s valley national park plan in the area in order to return part of silwan to its landscape of yore as municipal engineer uri shetreet put it bus tan u at-tur mount of olives and others the earliest jewish effort to establish institutions and neighborhoods in eastern jerusalem was in beit orot situated on the northernmost ridge of the mount of olives beneath the augusta victoria hospital compound it was founded as a yeshiva by rabbi benny elon beit orot complex in the early 1990s when elon was minister of tourism he transformed the area near the yeshiva into a national park ein tzurim and in 2005 the west jerusalem municipality approved a plan submitted by irwin moskowitz providing for public buildings and housing units on a 10-dunum area today over 100 yeshiva students are housed there every year in addition the site includes the homes of several settler families who are waiting for building to begin on the first jewish neighborhood on the mount of olives in 2,000 years the adjacent ein tzurim national park is run by el `ad see also map on p 2 8

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies in march 2006 settlers succeeded in acquiring property on the far end of the at-tur neighborhood taking over two four-story buildings called choshen not far from the seven arches hotel overlooking the old city choshen the circumstances of the takeover which represented a new effort on the part of settlers to create outposts in east jerusalem are currently the subject of legal proceedings the former owners abu al-hawa and kiswani families insisted that they had not sold the buildings to jews but to palestinian buyers who in turn sold the property to a jordanian investment company nis 47,876 million this was the and that signatures on amount paid in 2008 to secure the the settlers alleged consettlers of east jerusalem peace tract had been forged now may 2009 today approximately 30 settlers live in the two in addition to governmental support houses of the private construction being construction is also underway to renovate an old house in the mount of olives cemetery adjacent to two other houses where about 15 settlers currently live carried out by settler organizations in and around the old city the israeli government also provides private security services to protect the settlers funding for the guards is provided by the ministry of construction and housing the holy basin area beyond the old city further evidence that israeli planning and building laws in east jerusalem are aimed at reducing palestinian living space are the infiltration by settlers of the wider holy basin area ras al-amud jabal al-mukabber and abu dis see also map on page 2 u ras al-amud ras al-amud home to over 15,000 palestinians is located southeast of the old city on a ridge overlooking al-haram al-sharif silwan abu dis and al-izzariyya 2 1 ras al-amud with the police station 1 ma ale zaytim settlement 2 most recently in march 2009 the west jerusalem municipality handed 29 letters to families living in 10 buildings in the sahel neighborhood of at-tur the letters were either demolition orders or notifications that legal complaints have been filed against them in the municipal court for building without a permit in june 2008 ten homes were destroyed in the same neighborhood and one house in february 2009 moreover in january 2009 the municipality placed a sign in the area reading entry prohibited state lands claiming the plot in question has no owner in the nearby hardoub area land was seized for the purpose of the construction of buildings used for the benefit of the public in addition several isolated buildings have been occupied by settlers or used as offices including buildings located in ath-thori abu tor and on nablus road opposite the us consulate near the ymca building connecting all these cases shows that the motive behind this policy is to create a jewish continuum and cut the old city and its immediate environs off from the palestinian neighborhoods to the north thus thwarting any chance of a future agreement based on the division of jerusalem linked to this is the case of some 400 people in wadi yasul between ath-thori and jabal mukabber that have been threatened with the demolition of 55 homes on the pretext that the houses were built in an area zoned as a green area a plan submitted by the residents in 2004 to save their neighborhood was rejected in november 2008 by the district planning committee on the grounds that it interferes with the local outline plan for jerusalem 2000 which keeps it a green area forbidding any development the ma ale hazeitim or ma ale hazayit `olive heights settlement was established on land used by the al-ghoul family since 1837 the family however did not comply with the 1859 ottoman rule regarding land registration and it was therefore possible for two zionist movements chabad and wollin to register the same plot about 15 dunums with the british mandate authorities in 1928 without even informing the alghoul family who continued living on the land after the war of 1948 the land then under jordanian rule was registered at the department of `custodian of enemy properties which representatives of the alghoul family sued the case was held up in the courts until 1962 when the family s ownership of the land was finally recognized and it was officially registered in their name ma ale zaytim settlement after the war of 1967 and the subsequent israeli occupation chabad and wollin using their registration decree of 1928 succeeded in having the israeli central court cancel the jordanian registration and reclaimed the land which they sold to us jewish millionaire irving moskovitz in 1990 arij ras al amoud neighborhood a hot spot in occupied east jerusalem june 2003 moskowitz developed a plan for a 132-unit settlement which was approved by the jerusalem municipal planning commission with the agreement of then mayor teddy kollek although then interior minister haim ramon froze the plan because of its sensitive nature his successor ehud barak submitted it to the jerusalem district zoning commission which issued its final approval on 10 december 1996 ma ale hazeitim was the first major settlement development in the inner circle of east jerusalem aimed at creating jewish 9

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies continuity with the cemetery outside the old city and the beit orot yeshiva on the mount of olives and thus to eventually pre-empt any idea of dividing jerusalem construction on 14.5 dunums started in 1998 by the kedumim 3000 co which states on its website its ideological desire to build specifically in judea and samaria and to employ only jewish labor and the first settlers moved there in april 2003 when world attention was focused on the war in iraq later that year the initial 132 units were completed and construction continued on facilities such as a commercial center a synagogue a kindergarten and a clinic today an estimated 250 settlers live in ma ale hazeitim it is worth noting that prior to 1998 the west jerusalem municipality had refused to endorse a master plan for ras alamud on the grounds that part of the land belonged to jews and that it had made its approval conditional on palestinian residents agreeing to the construction of a jewish complex in the heart of their neighborhood the settlement however was despite international protests eventually forced on the palestinians who were only allowed to build on 55-65 of the total land area and no more than two floors per unit as compared to the settlers who were allowed to build on 115 of the total area with a maximum of seven floors arij the geopolitical status of the jerusalem governorate dec 2006 and was approved a year later by the israeli committee for planning after a petition by the palestinian landowners to the israeli high court of justice was rejected nof zion the project run by private entrepreneurs jacques nasser and abie levy is slated to cover some 115 dunums part of which belonged to jews and part of which was expropriated from several arab landowners it includes the construction of over 400 housing units a five-star hotel a synagogue a jewish ritual bath a kindergarten a school parks a shopping center a country sports club and other amenities suited to the needs of prospective us buyers.the first of four stages of the construction 91 apartments was completed in 2008 and the digal co now awaits the final approval from the government to start the second and third stages while the el `ad settler group claims that all the land in question was acquired legally it is clear that at least half of the land was confiscated by the west jerusalem municipality from arab landowners the landowners subsequently appealed to the jerusalem district court on the grounds that the confiscation was illegal and that only arab-owned land had been expropriated and designated as `green areas not surprisingly however the court ruled in favor of the west jerusalem municipality the settlement s infrastructure is to be built on land confiscated from residents of jabal mukabber in return for which they were promised better water electricity and sewage services however their request to be connected to nof zion s sewage system has been turned down and they remain without a sewage system it is worth noting that the site is the only space left for future urban development in the area and that while nof zion has received permission to build five and six-storey buildings construction in jabal mukabber is limited to two storeys the jabal mukabber settlement project is clearly a key link in an evolving chain of settlements being built inside arab areas to break up arab continuity and establish israeli domination over east jerusalem thus making it virtually impossible to have a viable palestinian capital u in july 2005 the rightwing `bukharan community committee and the israeli police through national police commissioner moshe karadi signed an `exchange deal according to which the committee agreed to build the new police station in the e-1 area and receive in return the current police building located in ras al-amud to use for residential purposes by doing this they were able to incorporate the building into the adjacent ma ale hazeitim settlement which is expected to at least double in size in january 2008 construction begun on another 60 housing units in the settlement where 51 setter families already lived and in april 2008 settlers moved into the vacated police building to mark the founding of a new neighborhood `ma ale david which will eventually comprise of 110 housing units over 10 dunums of land u jabal mukabber jabal mukabber with an estimated 17,000 inhabitants is a heavily populated palestinian residential area located on a hill south of the old city and ath-thori and adjacent to sawahreh algharbiyyeh west the jabal mukabber settlement project was initially approved in 1993 but subsequently postponed because of its sensitive nature and questions pertaining to land ownership in may 2002 the israeli digal investment and holdings co accompanied by israeli forces fenced off the area located on a slope below the `goldman jabal mukabber promenade north of east talpiot and began razing the land and establishing military observation posts construction of the `nof zion formerly `nof zahav or `golden view settlement began in 2004 abu dis abu dis is situated just east of the jerusalem municipal border between 1920 and 1930 the agudat hadayarim jewish cooperative sociabu dis ety was created in jerusalem in order to establish jewish neighborhoods for its members in 1928 the agudat purchased 598 dunums of land in the area known today as abu dis due to its proximity to the old city in order to build a `garden community homes with agricultural fields despite acquiring the legal title to the area the increasingly tense relationships between arabs and jews during the time of the arab revolts in jerusalem resulted in the initiative being abandoned 10

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies after the war of 1967 abu dis came under the jurisdiction of the general custodian of the state of israel when the israeli government annexed areas of land to municipal jerusalem some 10 of the abu dis territory remained inside jerusalem proper with the rest being located beyond the green line about 60-70 dunums of that land is owned by the agudah and designated for a settlement project the seizure of abu dis land began in june 2000 when a group of right-wing mks and jerusalem yeshiva students erected a barbed wire fence and planted olive tree saplings on confiscated property in abu dis on 22 may 2000 the kidmat zion settlement israeli ministry of housing endorsed plans for a new settlement in the area to house initially some 200 settlers in early 2004 the west jerusalem municipality approved the construction of the new `kidmat zion settlement to consist eventually of 400 housing units a kindergarten a school and a synagogue on some 64 dunums on 1 may 2004 four settler families from the ateret cohanim movement equipped with generators and personal items moved into two homes in the area bet ha achim and `bet sara the land in question most of which is said to have been purchased by jewish american millionaire irving moskowitz is located next to the separation barrier opposite the unfinished palestinian parliament building however due to us pressure construction at the site was put on hold in march 2008 shas chairman eli yishai demanded that then prime minister olmert immediately unfreeze the construction ban and proceed with the settlement plan as jerusalem s new mayor one of nir barkat s first acts was to resume the construction of 230 apartments in late 2008 however on 24 march 2009 the west jerusalem municipality s legal adviser,yossi havilio froze the plan in response to a request by meretz city councilman pepe alalo and attorney danny seideman of ir amim on the grounds that there had already been illegal construction on the part of the settlers which cannot retroactively be approved however it is more than likely that ateret cohanim will use all their contacts and strength to push for the revival of the project in addition to the settler activities mentioned above there is also of course the israeli government s ongoing settlement policy in the wider metropolitan area and the outer ring greater jerusalem reaching far into the west bank the `greater jerusalem plan is a political rather than geographical concept that follows israel s vision of a metropolitan jerusalem stretching from ramallah north to hebron south and from jericho east to bet shemesh west and covering some 30 of the west bank the total area involved amounts to 440 km2 of which less than a quarter lies within pre-1967 israeli borders contrary to israel s obligations under international law the road map and the annapolis conference settlements are also being expanded constructed or planned at an unprecedented pace within the municipal boundaries of jerusalem where some 190,000 israeli settlers currently live this is part of israel s overall plan to form a jewish urban belt around palestinian east jerusalem and secure israeli sovereignty over the entire region the following is an overview of the projects or plans currently underway in this region see map p 12-13 u sha ar mizrahi in the shu fat-anata area in august 2008 settlers made their first attempts to establish a new outpost sha ar mizrahi or `shaare hamizrah ­ eastern gateway on a hill located between french hill and anata near the ras shehadeh neighborhood of shu fat refugee camp and bypass road #1 which links ma ale adumim to jerusalem the plan is to establish some 2,000 housing units on the estimated 180 dunums currently defined as agricultural property which is the only open space available in the area between shu fat camp anata and al-issawiyya the idea of a settlement at the site is part of the larger ma ale adumin bloc project and was first raised over nine years ago in september 2008 israeli police evicted settlers from the site but in mid-october jerusalem mayoral candidate nir barkat who later won the municipal elections and is an outspoken supporter of a greater jewish presence in east jerusalem expressed support for the project if realized the plan will prevent the territorial contiguity of a future palestinian state while adding to the establishment of a permanent jewish presence between ma ale adumim and jerusalem in early february 2009 the west jerusalem municipality gave the green light to aryeh king to proceed with the plan king is an ateret cohanim member who represents the alleged jewish landowner eliyahu cohanim who claims he has held the title deed to the property since 1970 when he bought it from another jew who had purchased it from an arab king has also campaigned hard to have the route of the separation barrier in the area changed as the current path will leave the planned jewish shu fat settlement on camp anata the arab side of the barrier a tel aviv court al-issawiyya is scheduled to hand down its ruling on the site of the planned sha ar mizrahi settlement matter soon building new and expansion of settlements within the municipal boundaries at least 66 of jerusalem today is territory that was seized by force 5 being former jordanian municipality territory and 61 former west bank territory within this area israel has expropriated over 23,380 dunums of mostly palestinian-owned land over one-third of east jerusalem for the construction of israeli settlements since 1967 fmep report on israeli settlement may-june 1999 the settlements form two rings around the city with the inner ring running within the municipal boundaries 11

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12 shimon hatzadik burj al-laqlaq geva adam sheperds hotel israeli settlement construction and plans in and around east jerusalem sha ar mizrahi agan ha agalot qalandia atarot page 16 page 6 page 9 page 4 page 11 page 16 page 5 page 17 at-tur choshen ein arik ramallah psagot burqa al-amari rc albireh deir dibwan beit ur foqa beitunia migron bet horon m rafat qalandiya judeira kufr kochav aqab ya acov qalandia rc rama beitunia mikhmas sha ar binyamin tira ofer ma ale mikhmas giv at ze ev jaba ar-ram atarot jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies beit inan aljib bir nabala n.ya acov nabi samwil bh balad beit hanina beit duqqu qubeiba beit ijza giv on hdsha m adam geva binyamin al-jib west qatanna biddu har shmuel hizma anatot p .ze ev almon kfar adumim alon har adar ramot r.shlomo r.eshkol shu fat beit surik beit iksa shu fat rc rc fr.hill sh jarrah isawiya wadi joz at-tur mevasseret zion anata anatot metz adumim new police e-1 za im station mishor adumim

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i s rae l old amud west city jerusalem silwan ras aleast kedar al-izzariya ma ale adumim beit safafa um leisun abu dis j.mukabber sawahreh east west east talpiot sheikh sa ad wadi hummus wadi nar rd sharafat walaja har homa annuman al-khas kh.juhzum gilo g.hamatos sur baher battir har gilo ubeidiya mazmuria husan beit jala bethlehem beit sahour khader c passia 2009 kidmat zion har homa 2 nof zion nof yael givat hamatos page 14 page 14 page 10 east talpiot silwan page 15 page 11 ma ale adumim e-1 page 18 ma ale hazeitim israeli settlement activities related policies har gilo ma ale david jerusalem page 16 page 7 page 15 page 10 page 9 further area controlled by settlements m i established israeli settlements existing under construction israeli settlements military industrial new israeli settlements settler t akeovers existing/under construction e-1 area checkpoints and t erminals palestinian villages cities and neighborhoods the separation barrie completed or under construction eastern ring road separation barrier green line municipal boundaries unilaterally extended by israel since1967 settlement areas not included in the separation barrier settlement areas not included in the separation barrier 13

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies u nof yael near walajeh the village of walajeh which is located in southern jerusalem close to bethlehem both inside and beyond the west jerusalem municipality border has traditionally been associated with the cultivation of vineyards olive trees wheat barley and fruits after the naqba and the war of 1948 the village was handed to israel in accordance with the terms of the armistice agreement signed with jordan on 3 april 1949 which stipulated that the southern jerusalem boundary line would run along the jerusalem-jaffa railway line north of which walajeh was situated now the site of jerusalem s biblical zoo the villagers left their homes and moved south of the tracks into jordanian territory where much of their land was located since they enjoyed unrwa refugee status many also moved into the dheisheh or shu fat refugee camps after the war of 1967 the boundaries of the expanded east jerusalem which israel had annexed illegally brought nearly the entire area walajeh land of the new village within jerusalem s city limits the remainder becoming part of israel proper located on the other side of the green line however although the land was annexed its residents were not absorbed and they were consequently not included in the subsequent israeli 1967 census as a result of this they received west bank identity cards instead of jerusalem residency cards to which they were legally entitled today the approximately 2,000 residents of walajeh although living in jerusalem depend on the palestinian authority for all their services as the israeli ministry of interior still refuses to issue them with jerusalem id cards permanent residency their village meanwhile is surrounded on all sides by jewish settlements har gilo and betar illit the new `nof yael sometimes also `givat yael settlement project was launched in june 2004 with the aim to provide 13,600 housing units for up to 60,000 settlers on 4,110 dunums and to link jerusalem and the etzion settlement bloc half the land in question is within city limits and half is on the other side of the green line the ministry of interior claims that the land on which the settlement is situated was purchased by the jewish national fund subsidiary himnuta which confirmed ownership but denied any connection to the settlement project there are also claims that the plan is a completely private initiative based on land sales made possible by the use of forged documents however the israeli campaign of house demolitions in the area suggests that the nof yael plan is/was both sponsored and approved by the state at about the same time as the new settlement project was launched the walajeh checkpoint was established it was later on 19 feb 2006 transformed into a border passage by an israeli military order according to which some 40 dunums of walajeh land was confiscated to allow for the construction of a new terminal in addition the revised route of the separation barrier approved by the israeli cabinet on 30 april 2006 included the encirclement of walajeh leaving it completely fenced in and with only one access road passing through the israeli controlled har gilo terminal on 17 february 2009 the jerusalem district planning board rejected a town plan along with one for the bustan/silwan area that would have legalized hundreds of illegally-built homes,in part due to its unwillingness to legitimize en mass illegal construction u har homa on jabal abu ghneim jabal abu ghneim was a tree-covered hill located within the southern municipal boundaries of jerusalem that was privately owned by palestinian families from beit sahour bethlehem sur baher and umm tuba in 1968 the west jerusalem municipality classified it as a green area ­ restricting development in order to preserve its ecological diversity however israel con jabal abu ghneim prior to the construction of har homa fiscated the mountain in 1991 to build a new settlement after the israeli government s february 1997 announcement that 6,500 jewish homes for some 30,000-40,000 israelis would be constructed at the site and the beginning of construction work the following month palestinian protests led to a breakdown in the peace talks due to heavy international pressure construction was eventually frozen a few months later the israeli government tried to calm things down by offering to build 3,000 new apartments and 400 government-financed housing units in the nearby arab neighborhood of sur baher in november 1998 israel began leveling the hill and advertising for tenders and construction of apartments began in august 1999 in november 2000 the west jerusalem municipality started planning for an additional 4,000 units har homa b and in january 2002 the first settlers moved into the settlement ongoing construction at har homa in january 2007 israel s ministry of housing and construction approved the first 983 units for a new settlement har homa c west of har homa and south of the mar elias monastery in addition a new residential area khirbet mazmuria `har homa d is planned southeast of har homa the plan being to extend har homa up to the municipal border however it is doubtful whether the plan will actually materi 14

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jerusalem israeli settlement activities related policies alize following the decision made by attorney general menachem mazuz in february 2005 that it is forbidden to apply the absentee owners prophar homa advertisement erty law within the boundaries of jerusalem the west jerusalem municipality s master plan `jerusalem 2000 finally points to the expansion of har homa by 28 some 1,410 dunums so that it will eventually spread over some 2,500 dunums of land arij the geopolitical status of the jerusalem governorate dec 2006 ramat shlomo also known as rekhes shu fat the west jerusalem municipality s regional committee for housing and planning agreed on 13 june 2008 to construct 1,300 new housramat shlomo settlement ing units all on a plot originally designated as green area to preserve its ecological diversity pisgat ze ev in april 2008 the israeli government announced plans for at least 600 new apartments and according to a december 2008 report by the negotiations affairs department town planning schemes pisgat ze ev settlement for 759 units have been approved in the period between the annapolis conference and november 2008 east talpiot according to a report by the negotiations affairs department dec 2008 620 units have been approved between the annapolis conference and november 2008 while 104 units were awaiting construction in as-sawahreh final approval in february 2009 israel began construction initially approved in 2000 on over 60 new housing units in three 7-8 storey buildings for orthodox jews the project is marketed as part of the development of east talpiot but the 3.5-dunum building site is surrounded on three sides by the palestinian neighborhood of as-sawahreh it should be noted that in contrast construction for as-sawahreh residents is restricted to three apartment structures and two floors per dunum givat hamatos in february 2008 the west jerusalem municipality s city manager yair ma ayan revealed construction plans for givat hamatos a caravan village housing ethiopian jews since 1991 the iscaravans at givat hamatos sue of ownership is complex involving israeli palestinian and church property and it seems unlikely that the plans will be implemented soon however building plans for a total of 3,150 of the total of 4,000 units were submitted for public review in march and may 2008 in july 2008 construction of 2,500 housing units was approved the proposed neighborhood drawn up by the israel land administration envisages high-rise buildings and a bypass road connecting to nearby gilo and har homa settlements and will effectively cut beit safafa off from other palestinian areas shortly after the annapolis conference on 4 december 2007 israel issued tenders for the construction of 307 new homes in har homa and at the end of that month peace now revealed that israel s 2008 budget included nis 50 million for the construction of 500 new homes in the settlement israeli housing minister ze ev boim demanded in february 2008 approval for the construction of another 360 housing units in har homa and in early june 2008 he announced tenders for 121 housing units on 9 july 2008 the har homa c plan to build 910 new homes to the south and east of the current construction line was submitted for public review a related issue of concern is that in direct contradiction to the attorney general s order large parts of the lands slated for further construction in har homa belong to palestinians from the bethlehem-beit sahour area who were declared absentees after the 1967 war as of 2008 har homa housed some 4,000 families as well as kindergartens day care centers schools clinics and shopping centers according to a report by the negotiations affairs department dec 2008 town planning schemes for 2,653 housing units in har homa have been approved in the period between the annapolis conference and november 2008 alone and in february 2009 the municipality approved 14 new housing units and a public structure ha aretz 12 feb 2009 u other developments in brief ramot on 28 january 2008 a town planning scheme was released for public review indicating construction plans for some 1,300 residential units 105 of which beyond the green line the aim of ramot settlement this plan is to fill the gap between ramot and beit iksa village according to a report by the negotiations affairs department dec 2008 town planning schemes for 338 units have been approved in the period between the annapolis conference and november 2008 while 1,600 units were awaiting final approval added to this on 12 december 2008 yediot aharonot reported on plans by the housing ministry and the israel land administration to issue 745 tenders in 2009 for ramot 15

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