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j erusalem israeli settlement activities related policies in april 2007 introduction throughout history jerusalem has thrived as an important political and cultural center and as a religious focal point and house of faith for the three monotheistic religions due however to its added importance as a political symbol and a regional geographic center there have been numerous lengthy struggles to gain or have acknowledged the exc c clusive right to its possession its recent history which for c many years has been at the core of the arabcisraeli conc flict has fueled ongoing battles relating to the future of the city and has rendered it a vital but unresolved question in middle east politics from the outset of the occupation in 1967 successive israeli governments have zealously and incessantly pursued one major goal namely the goal of `judaizing east jerusalem c i.e to change its arab character and create a new geopoc litical reality in order to guarantee territorial demographic and religious control over all parts of city they have shared their pursuit of this goal with various settlers groups and c while the former has concentrated on expropriating palesc tinian land and building large `official settlements in east jerusalem the latter have focused on `secretly penetrating arab neighborhoods in and around the old city as well as c on archaeological digs their motivation being both messic anic and nationalistic in nature changing municipal boundaries of jerusalem 1947-2000 ramallah pa ssia it was during the camp david ii talks held in july 2000 that c jerusalem was for the very first time placed on the negoc tiation table agreement however was not forthcoming and jerusalem consequently remains at the heart of the arabcisraeli conflict and one of the most complex issues still awaiting a just solution one thing is for certain though i.e the fact that any future talks will begin with the soccalled `clinton parameters negotiation principles drafted by then us president bill clinton at the end of the camp david proc c cess and publicized on 23 december 2000 they include amongst other things partitioning the city in order to make room for two capitals in recent years there has been an increase in terms of both the number and longcterm significance of the israeli efforts c to create yet more facts on the ground all of the efforts repc resent part of an elaborate geopolitical strategy the aim of c which is to establish and consolidate exclusive israeli sovc ereignty over jerusalem and its environs this bulletin by providing facts and figures relevant to the curc c rent situation will hopefully shed some light on certain signific c c cant recent events and developments included here are isc rael s soccalled `renovation projects in the alcburaq wailing wall area that began in feb 2007 the growing presence of israeli settlers in and around the old city the expansion of settlements in the wider jerusalem area and the impact of the separation barrier c all of which were carefully designed to make any serious discussion relating to the establishment of a future palestinian capital in jerusalem impossible qalandia airport municipal boundaries under the british mandate 1923-1947 israeli municipal boundaries 1949-1967 contents west beit hanina gr een bank line shu fat the old city of jerusalem arab municipality under jordanian rule 1952-1967 1 israel deir yassin the old city s immediate environs and the `holy basin area beyond the old city building new and expanding existing settlements along or beyond the municipal boundaries 5 km 4 7 jerusalem ein karim old city municipal boundaries unilaterally extended by israel between 1967-1993 abu dis malha beit safafa sur baher 11 14 0 bethlehem other related policies and plans map jan de jong 2000 municipal area of jerusalem since 1967 in thousand dunums palestinian academic society for the study of international affairs tel +972-2-6264426 ¢fax +972-2-6282819 ¢ email passia@palnet.com ¢ website www.passia.org ¢ po box 19545 jerusalem passia

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s the old city of jerusalem u the moroccan quarter al-buraq wall the moroccan quarter alcharat alcmagharbah also rec c ferred to by palestinians as alcharat ashcsharaf and by jews as the jewish quarter was first constructed over 700 years ago by the ayyubids and mamluks the entire quarter c then home to some 650 people c was demolished by israel following its conquest of the city in june 1967 and most of its inhabitants relocated to the shu fat refugee camp the small area in front of alcburaq/the wailing wall then measuring no more than 120 m2 eventually became a sprawling plaza measuring some 20,000 m2 c all of which was built over the ruins of the moroccan quarter mally extended by the british mandate authorities 1922c47 to include alcburaq wall in jerusalem and rachel s tomb on the outskirts of bethlehem the `status quo arrangement thus forbade jews from enc c gaging in any construction work in the alcburaq area in sept 1928 however a group of jews used chairs to separate men and women performing yom kippur prayers this action was c quickly interpreted as violating the arrangement and so bec gan one of the first real crises and periods of unrest the moroccan quarter in front of al-buraq wall prior l and after r its demolition the ottoman status quo arrangement which was introduced in a firman in 1852 froze the rights of worship and possession of the religious communities in the holy places of christendom the introduction of the arrangement represented a futile attempt by ottoman sultan abdul majid to avoid a war between the greek ort t thodox and catholic churches over rights relating to some of the holy places in jerusalem and bethlehem article 62 of the treaty of berlin 1878 subsequently proclaimed the inviolability of the decree of 1852 and declared it the `stat t tus quo of the holy places the successive governments of palestine the british mandate jordan and the state of israel further maintained the regulations as set forth by the status quo arrangement of 1852 al-buraq wall forms part of the alcaqsa mosque compound c the site is holy to muslims as they believe that prophet mohamc med was taken in a night journey from the noble sanctuary in mecca to alcaqsa 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 mournc c ing 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 alcaqsa compound c whilst claiming that the entire area was once a part of the c destroyed secc ond temple see photo on page 3 it is worth noting at this point that it was during the c reign of the ottoc c man sultan suc c leiman the magc nificent in the 16th century that jews were first a year later the dispute between muslims and jews over acc c cess to alcburaq wall escalated and in aug 1929 a series of violent demonstrations and riots resulted in the death of dozens of jews and arabs and the injuring of hundreds more c the conclusions of the subsequent british inquiry commisc sion which were presented in dec 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 property taken over by settlers in the old city area expropriated for the reconstitution of an extended jewish quarter 1968 buildings overtaken by settlers major religious and public buildings 200 m salah e stree ddin t bab az-zahra herod s gate 0 bab al-amud damascus gate d roa lus nab ad ro ad -w al suq khan ez-zeit hbat aqabat ra isiya al-qad al-mawlawiya mosque st anne s church ecce homo arch/convent bab al-jadid new gate christian quarter via sa doloro bab hutta bab al-asbat lion gate is st st.franc latin patriarchate anqa at kh aqab holy muslim quarter sepulcher h tekiye aqabat gr.mufti s office islamic waqf al-omariya school bab al-hadid haram ash-sharif greek orthodox patriarchate chr.qrt.rd redeemer church qubbet as-sakhra mosque of omar dome of the rock bab silsileh israeli excavations at al-buraq wall 1968 citadel christ church suq al-husur habad st ffa ja ro ad bab al-khalil jaffa gate as silsileh st khalidiye library al-buraq wailing wall site of demolished mughrabi quarter al-aqsa mosque jewish quarter extended allowed to pray in the space between the wall and the morocc c can quarter also noteworthy in this regard is the fact that in the middle of the 18th century the ottomans established the `status quo arrangement which forbade any construction c at or changes to holy places and that although the arrangec c ment initially referred to christian holy places it was later forc el of bab al-magharbeh dung gate st james cathedral oad ro nr b he bab nabi daoud zion gate an lw si as ce armenian quarter nt map © jan de jong oa d r

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s u al-haram ash-sharif area alcharam ashcsharif the sacred place that jews refer to c as the `temple mount has aroused great religious pasc c sion throughout the history of jerusalem jewish and musc lim confrontations focusing on the site beginning in the 19th century and continuing until the present have escalated c throughout the past decades and resulted in numerous poc litical crises and violent clashes these included inter alia the aforementioned riots of 1929 caused by a dispute over prayer arrangements at alcburaq wall the destruction of the entire moroccan mughrabi quarter to create the `wailing wall plaza in the aftermath of the war of 1967 the unrest of 1969 that followed the attempt by an australian tourist to c burn down alcaqsa mosque the 1990 alcaqsa massacre rec c sulting from attempts by jewish extremists to lay the cornerc stone for the temple the unrest that followed the opening of the hasmonean tunnel by the israeli government in 1996 c and the eruption of the second alcaqsa intifada in septemc ber 2000 sparked by the provocative visit of ariel sharon to alcharam ashcsharif on the 28th of that month most recently the excavation work that israel began on 5 feb 2007 near alc buraq wall adjacent to alcharam ashc sharif has come to represent as far as the palestinians and the arab and muslim worlds are concerned recent excavation near mughrabi gate yet another ominous move on the part of israel to `judaize jerusalem the work which involves the destruction of a historic pedestrian bridge connecting the mughrabi quarter to the mughrabi gate an alcharam ashc sharif gate facing westward and its subsequent reconstruction was suspended temporarily on 11 feb due to its controversial nac c ture and the outrage it sparked among muslims around the world not least of all because the gate has been used in the past by israeli forces and various jewish groups as their main point of enc c try into the alcaqsa compound interestingly the excavation work that has taken place to date though carried out by the jerusalem municipality was not authorized by the ministry of antiquities and was funded by the extremist el `ad settler group 1 16 17 18 20 19 al-haram ash-sharif 21 2 22 26 24 25 30 31 32 33 34 35 15 15a 15b 37 39 36 27 28 29 3 4 5 23 6 7 8 38 43 41 9 the 36tacre haram ash-sharif noble sanctut t ary 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 altaqsa mosque the aesthetically magnificent dome of the rock astsakhra mosque historical islamic schools the western corridors subterranean prayer halls fountains gardens the southern most building erroneously referred to as altaqsa 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 det t stroyed in 70 ce temples in jerusalem as well as the site of the third and final temple to be rebuilt with the comt t ing of the messiah 42 40 14 13 12 11 10 1 islamic museum 2 bab al-maghrarbeh moroccans gate 3 bab as-silsileh chain gate 4 bab as-salaam tranquility gate 5 silsileh chain minaret 6 bab al-matarah ablution gate 7 bab al-qattanin cotton merchants gate 8 bab al-hadid iron gate 9 bab an-nazir/majlis council gate waqf office is outside the gate 10 minaret of ghawanimah 11 bab al-atim gate of darkness 12 bab al-huttah gate of remission 13 minaret al-asbat 14 bab al-asbat gate of the tribes 15 bab az-zahabi golden gate 15a bab ar-rahma door of mercy 15b bab at-tauba door of repentance 16 cradle of jesus 17 al-mussallah al-marwani solomons stables ­ substructure 18 al-masjidul aqsa ­ al-aqsa mosque 19 fakhriya minaret 20 dome of yusuf agha 21 station of buraq 22 al-kas the cup 23 minbar of buran eddin 24 dome of yousef 25 dome of an-nahawiyyah school of literature 26 dome of moses 27 fountain of qasim pasha 28 pool of raranj 29 fountain of qayt bay 30 muezzin s dome 31 dome of the chain silsileh 32 dome of the rock qubbat as-sakhra 33 dome of the prophet 34 dome of the miraj 35 dome of al-khalili 36 mihrab ali pasha 37 dome of al-khidr 38 dome of the spirits ruh 39 fountain of sha lan 40 solomon s dome 41 dome of the lovers of the prophets 42 fountain of sultan solomon 43 solomon s throne

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s u muslim quarter burj al-laqlaq on 25 july 2005 the west jerusalem municipality s c local planning commitc tee approved an amended town planning scheme 21 instead of 30 residential u nits plus a synagogue that will allow the construction of a new jewish settlement flower gate project on a 3.8cdunum site near burj c alclaqlaq in the northeastc ern corner of the old city not far from herod s gate burj al-laqlaq area c bab ascsahira the isc rael land administration c owns 1.9 dunums absentee property of the land in quesc tion while himanuta ltd a subsidiary of the jewish national c fund owns 1.3 dunums which were reportedly acquired pric vately from the white russian orthodox church in 1982 the project is pending with the regional planning committee of the ministry of interior c the plan was first disclosed in 1990 by then housing minisc ter ariel sharon who announced the planned construction of 200 housing units at the site another plan was ratified during the tenure of pm netanyahu this time envisioning the construction at the same location of a religious school two sixcfloor residential buildings parking lots and two underc c ground tunnels in may 1998 settlers from ateret cohanim c protected by israeli soldiers c laid the `cornerstone for the new settlement and moved caravans to the area however due to the ensuing confrontations with palestinians the proc c cess was halted in june 1998 by the israeli government which `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 neighborc c hood dating to the 7th century umayyad rule to date more than ten structures have been demolished in the burj alclaqlaq area including housing units and a cac c nadiancfunded center for the disabled the current plan c the ultimate aim of which is to gain another foothold inside the old city c includes the expansion of a nearby enclave where two jewish families now live in redcroofed bungalows adjac c cent 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 in addition it should be noted that the proposed construction represents a technical and engineering violation of old city regulations since burj alc laqlaq is not only an archeological site but also a `green area where building of any kind is prohibited worthy of mention in this regard is the fact that israeli authorities systematically rezone such `green areas to accommodate settlements the old city s immediate environs and the `holy basin area in addition to the above there has been an increase in govc c ernmental support for the activities of the extremist settler groups in and around the old city the groups in question include el `ad focusing on silwan ateret cohanim focusc c ing on the old city 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 settler spots in east jerusalem estabc c lished outside of the major settlements built after the war of 1967 include the following the old city s muslim quarter the christian quarter st john s hospice neot david and the petra and new imperial hotels just inside jaffa gate the `city of david in silwan bet orot on the mt of olives ras alcamud ma ale zaytim the tomb of shimon hatzac c dik in sheikh jarrah musrara between damascus gate and hanevi im street where jewish settlers currently occupy two properties and athcthori abu tor recent takeover and/or construction plans include those relating to a site at burj alc laqlaq in the northern section of the old city near herod s gate the area around the shepherd s hotel in sheikh jarrah and the alcbustan area in silwan in the muslim and chrisc c tian quarters of the old city alone it is estimated that jews already control some 75c80 homes or complexes some of which house yeshivas kollels and torah study centers focusing their activities on these areas c the old city and the soc called holy basin area see textbox c the settlers are attemptc c ing to form a string of settlements that will eventually encircle the alcharam ashcsharif area new settlements are also being built near walajeh nof yael jabal abu ghneim har homa ii jabal mukabber nof zion abu dis kidmat zion hizma geva binyamin and south of ramallah agan ha ayalot c an extension of the giv at ze ev settlement and these will form a jewish urban belt around palestinian east jerusalem 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 the concept applies to the area embracing the old city of jerusalem and adjacent localities t the mt of olt t ives atttur mt zion the city of david silwan the kidron valley and the shimon hatzadik tomb and minitsettlement in sheikh jarrah ­ where one finds places that are holy to jews muslims and christians the idea was to create a special int t ternational regime 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 t accordt t ing to international law and un resolutions t under occupat t tion and demanded palestinian sovereignty instead green areas are areas zoned by israeli municipal authorities 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 alleged green areas are much more used strategically often to block palestinian development in the vicinity of settlements restrict palestinian construction in the city and later absorb the land for settlement expansion as needed good examples for settlementtturnedt green areas are jabal abu ghneim har homa and shu fat rekhes shufat/ramot shlomo it is estimated that some 44 including 6 assigned for infrastructure and services and remaining under municipal control of palestinian land in east jerusalem is designated by planning and zoning schemes as green and open spaces orient house jerusalem settlement update report may 2000

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israeli settlement expansion in and around the old city of jerusalem j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities sheikh jarrah sheperds hotel administrative offices hebrew university police headqrt border police interior related polic ie s ministry hotel complex ma alot dafna french hill issawiya mount scopus emeq israeli settlement expansion in the old city zurim mormon park azisraeli settlement expansion in and around the old city of jerusalem university courts national and the holy basin area za im of law insurance bab az shimon hatzadik qrtr wadi joz tunnel ma alot dafna r border police sheikh jarrah sheperds hotel police rockefeller headqrt post museum police office administrative station offices burj laqlaq zahra bet french issawiya orot hill suwaneh mormon mount hebrew park scopus university m ad a ale um im the west jerusalem municipality is establishing a hotel and c other high rise buildings southeast of the old city specificalc ly the area west of the western wall and `harat ashcsharaf or the `jewish quarter furthermore the israeli government has recently handed de facto control of the large national park that surrounds c the old city from the south and the east including its relic gious and historic sites to el `ad while another national park northeast of the old city to also be placed under the control of jewish extremists is in the planning stages tur post wadi police office hilweh station rockefeller museum burj laqlaq ma ale suwaneh zeitim mormon park bet shayyah orot tu nn el complex kishla jewish courts police national of law insurance station quarterbab shimon ash sharif wadi o l d hatzadik joz hotel city qrtr az ir david zahra interior haramministry d1 at-tur tunnel emeq zurim jewish mormon park university cemetery azza im m ad a ale um im lazaros tur at-tur al-izzariyya d1 silwan al-bustan silwan haramyemenite ash compound sharif r old city kishla police station ras al-amud jewish cemetery u sheikh jarrah and beyond the sheikh jarrah wadi al-joz and mount scopus area has been targeted by israeli settlement activity since the prec 1948 years when zionist groups began building the hebrew university complex on mt scopus as well as the settlement activities associated with the area a number of official israeli sponsored projects have been established over the years examples being the construction of the israeli government buildings the police headquarters the hebrew university complex and the adjacent french hill settlement shepherd s hotel karm al-mufti plans are now underway to establish a new jewish settlec c ment in sheikh jarrah including 90 apartments a synac c gogue and kindergarten using land belonging to the famous shepherd s hotel known to palestinians as karm al-mufti c due to its having belonged to grand mufti haj amin alchusc seini before it was seized by the israelis in 1967 in spite of the fact that the heirs of the rightful owner were still alive and longcstanding legal residents of jerusalem and that the c building had functioned as a hotel since 1945 a construcc tion request to this end was submitted to the west jerusalem c municipality in late october 2005 the land involved was apc parently acquired by jewish millionaire irving moskowitz from the israeli custodian of absentee property in 1985 ha aretz 3 nov 2005 and subsequently rented to the israeli border police the city s conservation committee has since decided that the hotel can be knocked down since it has no special architectural value beneath the actual 30cdunum hotel compound the karm alcmufti land stretches an additional 110 dunums downhill c towards the site of the new israeli ministry of interior comc plex initially earmarked to house a palestinian girls school tu nn el jewish ath-thori quarter wadi hilweh li ne k ir i david d r o ma ale n zeitim shayyah abu dis a w ro ad i jan map ©ne de jong l 1 km n sawahreh west v a n ri g ro ad 1 km map © jan de jong east talpiot sawahreh west n ri related developmentspalestinian israeli settlement g expropriated approved or ateret cohanimpalestinian primary settler group threathened the just recently planned palestinian land israeli settlement neighborhood workingtargetted settlementold city and seeking to rebuild the temple within the area on the site of alcaqsa mosque was handed a new project to `restore a 3,000cyearcold quarry running 280 m under the old city from herod s gate toward alcharam ashcsharif by the israeli government along with others the project is being funded by the israeli ministry of infrastructure from monies set aside for the rehabilitation of quarries funds ostensibly meant for dealing with the blight on the land left by modern c quarries not the transformation of a 3,000 year old underc ground quarry into a tourist site run by rightwing settlers americans for peace now the battle for jerusalem s old city and holy basin settlements in focus vol 2 no 8 may 2006 n ee gr silwan al-bustan jabal mukabber silwan yemenite compound v a lazaros ll al-izzariyya l l e ras al-amud nof zion kidmat zion sawahreh abu east dis y ath-thori k i east d r o talpiot n ee gr a w israeli settlement mukabber approved or planned israeli settlement targetted settlement area jabal ll palestinian built-up area threathened palestinian neighborhood the wall gate checkpoint expropriated kidmatpalestinian land lley nof zion zion sawahreh east built-up area the wall gate checkpoint shepherds hotel with karm al-mufti land and part of the interior ministry complex in the foreground

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s on the edges of the wadi alcjoz industrial zone the area which is mostly cultivated with olive trees is now threatened with losing its open and public space status and being rec c classified as a residential area once plans are developed to build a jewish neighborhood above it the motivation behind the recently revived plan for a new israeli settlement at the location was clearly the desire to establish the missing link between the c israeli government comc plex north of the hotel and the shimon hatzadik tomb area to the south shimon hatzadik the tomb of shimon hatzadik simon the just and its surc c rounding area is said to have been purchased by jews who c settled there until 1948 when the neighborhood was evacuc ated the tomb having been declared a jewish holy place by the un in nov 1947 in 1972 the land was released to its owners the sephardic ethnic committee and the general c committee of the jewish people under the netanyahu govc c ernment shimon hatzadik was given `new jewish neighc borhood status which entitled it to huge amounts of annual funding for private security services in oct 1998 yeshiva students joined by rightwing mk rabbi benny elon moved c into the synagogue directly above the tomb in order to renoc vate it local palestinians protested in vain and since dec 1998 the synagogue has been used as a kollel advanced torah learning institute that is also used for the holding of regular shabbat prayer services in feb 1999 the `settlers of zion association led by mk elon illegally acquired six homes in the area and in april of the same year the first jews moved in in april 2000 palestinians clashed with the settlers and israeli police officers when the former attempted to take over another 5cdunum plot of land owned by the abu jibna family claiming that a cave in which ramban/rabbi nahmanides used to pray is located there the next month c the jerusalem district court ruled that the cave is a jewc ish holy site and ordered the owners to remove fences and allow jews to pray there in april 2003 the homat shalem c organization which operates on behalf of the settlers acc quired another two apartment blocs nearby and today at least seven settler families around 40 people reside there along with several dozen yeshiva students their presence and attempts to further expand have repeatedly resulted in clashes with local palestinians the actual tomb meanwhile is guarded by the israeli police u at-tur mount of olives in march 2006 settlers took over two large buildings in atctur overlooking the old city marking the first time since 1967 that c settlers had succeeded in acquiring property in the neighborc hood the circumstances of the takeover which represented a c new effort on the part of settlers to create outposts in east jec rusalem as well as those of others are of highly questionable legality and are currently the subject of legal proceedings u silwan silwan is a palesc c c tinian neighborc hood stretching c from the southc east corner of jerusalem s old city following wadi alchilweh c referred to on isc raeli maps as the silwan kidron valley as it runs between the densely populated hillsides of the mt of olives and mt zion and sloping down through the desert along the slopes of jabal alcmukabber large tracts of land in the area c which israel seized illec c gally after the war of 1967 c were purchased in the 1920s by baron de rothschild and subsequently administered by the jewish national fund the latter has since assisted settler groups in their efforts to take control of the area and over 55 of the land is now in the hands of el `ad israeli blueprints propose the development of an archaeoc c logical village in place of the existing palestinian homes in c silwan referred to by israelis as the `city of david or `ir dac vid the el `ad settler group which occupied the first two c homes to be taken over in silwan in 1991 claims to have alc ready seized over 55 of the `ir david area today there are ten buildings in `ir david housing 27 families while another 20 el `adcowned buildings the majority of which were seized in the spring of 2004 house some 23 families bringing the total number of settler families living in silwan to at least 50 or some 250 people meir margalit like a thorn in the heart settlements and settlers in east jerusalem icahd oct 2005 part of the israeli government complex in may 2005 88 houses in the bustan neighborhood called `emek hamelech or `king s valley by the settlers c home to approx 1,000 palestinians c were threatened with demolition on the grounds that the area had been zoned as c `open or `green space and was thus offclimits for construcc tion purposes and should be returned to its original state the threats were clearly part of an attempt to implement the `king s valley national park plan in the area and although c amidst protests the demolition orders were eventually froc zen they were never actually lifted another plan c approved by the local planning and conc c struction committee in june 2005 and developed by the private ma ale bet david co c involves the construction of a fivecstorey building on an 11.5cdunum plot at the entrance to silwan known as the `givati site to house a banqueting hall a commercial center and an underground car park meir shimon hatzadik site occupied by settlers margalit like a thorn in the heart settlements and settlers in east jerusalem icahd oct 2005

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s in march 2006 settlers also took over a local compound consisting of three buildings from which 30 members of the ghuzlan family were evicted others in addition to the above several isolated buildings have been occupied by settlers or used as offices including buildings located in athcthori abu tor jabal mukabber on nablus c road opposite the us consulate and near the ymca buildc ing etc beyond the old city u abu dis abu dis is situated just east of the jerusalem municipal border purchasing methods and funding sources purchasing methods and funding sources settler associations employ the following often dubious means to seize property · buying properties where a member of the family is emt t broiled in criminal cases and willing to sell everything he can for financial gain even when he is not entitled to do so · buying properties where a demolition order is about to be carried out the idea being that rather than lose everything the owners will choose to sell their propt t erty even to settlers it is a known fact that municipal inspectors sometimes pass relevant information to the settler associations and that an arab broker is often sent to close the deal on the settlers behalf · buying properties of families with huge debts who have no choice but to sell in order to remain financially solt t t vent this has come to represent a common phenomet non due to the socioeconomic hardships associated with the second intifada funding for the actions mentioned above comes from both the state and private sources until 1992 the state transferred absentee property and vast sums to the settlers through dift t ferent ministries especially the ministry of housing howt t ever the 1992 klugman report t commissioned by then pm yitzhak rabin to examine settlement activity in east jerut t salem t revealed extensive covert and largely illegal governt t ment activities estimating inter alia that the israeli govt t ernment transferred around $8.2 million to the settlers to facilitate the purchasing of buildings and an additional $12.8 million for renovating old buildings following the publisht t ing of the report this type of government support came to an abrupt halt today the state provides support to the sett t tlers in two ways one by financing the security companies at an annual cost of nis 24 million and two by employing many of the settlers who work for them as security guards and managers of the city of david archaeological site there are also many private donors the most prominent one being irving moskowitz another figure is us billiont t aire ira rennert of brooklyn who is a major supporter of the ateret cohanim association and who inter alia funded the opening of the western wall tunnel there are many other wealthy diaspora jews supporting the various settler associations that for reasons best known to themselves det t mand anonymity source meir margalit like a thorn in the heart settlements and settlers in east jerusalem icahd oct 2005 abu dis during the years 1920c30 the agudat hadayarim jewish cooperative society 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 c today as abu dis c due to its proximity to the old city c in orc der to build a `garden community homes with agricultural fields although it rapidly acquired a legal title to the area the increasing arab revolts and tense relationships between arabs and jews in jerusalem resulted in the abandonment of the `garden community dream 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 c only 60c70 dunums of the agudah s land remained inside jeruc salem proper with the rest located beyond the green line the seizure of abu dis land began in june 2000 when a group of rightwing 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 ministry of housing endorsed plans for a new settlement in the area to house c initially c some 200 settlers the west jerusalem municipality approved the construction of the new `kidmat zion settlement c to consist eventuc c ally of 400 housing units a kindergarten a school and a synagogue on some 64 dunums c in early 2004 on 1 may c 2004 four settler families from the ateret cohanim movec ment equipped with generators and personal items moved into two homes in the area the land in question is located c next to the separation barrier opposite the palestinian parc liament and most of it is said to have been purchased by jewish american millionaire irving moskowitz as of 2006 two houses bet ha achim and `bet sara had already been turned over to settlers and dedicated to the c memory of sara blausc tein who is said to have site of kidmat zion settlement been shot to death on the c gush etzioncjerusalem highway three years earlier construcc tion at the site is still however on hold due to us pressure.

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jalazoun rc ein yabrud ofra rammun shimon hatzadik geva israeli settlement activities in and around jerusalem the wall in jerusalem december 2005 ras karkar batha surda atarot qalandia sheperds hotel janiya mazra a qibliya bet el rimmonim rl abu qash talmon dolev pa g e 13 agan ha agalot kafr ni ma beitin 5 pa g e 12 pa g e pa g e 6 pa g e 12 deir ibzi ein arik ramallah psagot burqa al-amari rc albireh deir dibwan beit ur at-tahta beit ur foqa beitunia migron bet horon m rafat qalandiya kufr kochav aqab ya acov qalandia rc rama beitunia tira m jaba ar-ram atarot ofer mikhmas sha ar binyamin ma ale mikhmas giv at ze ev judeira beit inan aljib bir nabala beit hanina bh balad beit duqqu n.ya acov nabi samwil 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 related polic ie s beit surik beit iksa shu fat r.shlomo r.eshkol shu fat rc rc fr.hill sh jarrah isawiya wadi joz j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities mevasseret zion anata metz adumim anatot e1 za im mishor adumim

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at-tur israel old west city jerusalem silwan ras alamud east qedar related polic ie s al-izzariya ma ale adumim beit safafa sharafat um leisun abu dis j.mukabber sawahreh east west east talpiot sheikh sa ad wadi hummus wadi nar rd j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities walaja har homa annuman al-khas kh.juhzum gilo g.hamatos sur baher battir tzur hadassah har gilo ubeidiya mazmuria husan wadi fukin beit jala bethlehem beit sahour al-hindaza har homa 2 pa g e 12 rafidia silwan nof zion pa g e 7 kidmat zion khader c passia april 2007 betar shawawra pa g e 12 nahhalin nof yael geva ot neve daniyel dheisheh rc artas givat hamatos m.adumim e1 pa g e 13 ma ale zaytim pa g e 10 pa g e 11 burj alclaqlaq efrata rosh tzurim bat ayin allon shvut za atara pa g e 6 harmala pa g e 10 kht sakarya elazar g e pa kfar eldad tekoa nokdim e-1 area w.rahhal 4 w an nis jurat ash-shama kfar etzion m established israeli settlements existing under construction m i migdal oz israeli settlements military industrial new israeli settlements further area um controlled by salamuna settlements tuqu palestinian villages cities and neighborhoods map © jan de jong beit ummar beit settlement areas not fajjar in included 10 km checkpoints and terminals green line the jerusalem wall the separation wall completed or under construction settlement areas bj all ing or r construction further area not included in controlled by the jerusalem wall settlements regional and local roads settler takeovers existing/under gate checkpoint /construction current planned jerusalem wall checkpoints gates rl ramallah dco bt beitunia bd biddu rt ramot sh shu fat rc an anatot tz tur zeitim lz lazaros sr sawahreh n line settlement areas not included in the jerusalem wall israeli reconstructed bypasses settler roads projected or under construction

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s u ras al-amud ras alcamud is located southeast of the old city on a ridge c overlooking alcharam alcsharif silwan abu dis and alcizc zariyya amud 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 c was eventually forced on the palestinians who were only alc lowed to build on 55c65 of the total area of land and then with a maximum of only 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 b a ras al-amud with the police station a ma ale zaytim settlement b the ma ale zaytim or ma ale hazayit c `olive heights setc c tlement was established on land used by the alcghoul 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 c about 15 dunums c with the british mandate authorities in 1928 without even informing the alc ghoul family who continued living on and from the land after the war of 1948 the land c then under jordanian rule c was c registered at the department of `custodian of enemy properc ties which representatives of the alcghoul 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 offic c cially registered in their name after the war of 1967 and the subsequent israeli occupation chabad and wollin c using their registration decree of 1928 c succeeded in having the israeli central court cancel the jordanian registration and in reclaiming 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 c developed a plan for a 132cunit settlement which was apc proved 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 dec 1996 ma ale zaytim was the first major settlement c development in the inc c ner circle of east jeruc salem aimed at creating jewish continuity with the cemetery outside the old city and the bet orot yeshiva also ma ale zaytim settlement owned by moskowitz on the mt of olives and thus to eventually precempt any idea of dividing jerusalem construction on 14.5 dunums started in 1998 and the first settlers moved there in april 2003 when the attention of the world was focused on the war in iraq later that year the initial 132 units were completed and construction c continued on facilities such as a commercial center a synac gogue a kindergarten and a clinic it is worth noting that prior to 1998 the west jerusalem muc c nicipality had refused to endorse a master plan for ras alc in july 2005 the rightwing `bukharan community commitc c c tee and the israeli police through national police commisc sioner moshe karadi signed an `exchange deal according to which the committee agreed to build the new police stac c tion in the e1 area and receive in return the current police building located in ras al-amud to use for residential purc c poses i.e incorporate it into the adjacent ma ale zaytim settlement which is expected to at least double in size there are currently 52 residential units ha aretz 26 april 2006 u jabal mukabber jabal mukabber is a heavily populated palestinian residenc c tial area located on a hill south of the old city and athcthori and adjacent to sawahreh alcgharbiyyeh west c the jabal mukabber settlement project was initially apc proved 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 c accompanied by israeli forces c fenced off the area involved located on a slope below the `goldman 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 c 2004 and was approved a year later by the israeli commitc tee for planning the project c run by private entrepreneurs jacques nasser and abie levy c 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 some 400 housing units a fivecstar 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 the c targeted us buyc ers the first stage of building which nof zion completed settlement as advertised on the project s website jabal mukabber in the background small photo ongoing construction at the site 10

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s foresaw the construction of 91 apartments many of which have already been sold to jews from abroad is slated for completion by october 2007 while the el `ad settler group claims that all the land in quesc c tion was acquired legally it is certain that an estimated half was confiscated by the west jerusalem municipality from c arab landowners who subsequently appealed to the jerusac lem district court on the grounds that the confiscation was illegal and that only arabcowned 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 confisc c cated from residents of jabal mukabber for which they were promised better water electricity and sewage services in return it is worth noting that the site is the only space left for future urban development in the area the jabal mukabber settlement project is clearly a key link c in an evolving chain of settlements being built inside arab arc c eas to break up arab continuity and establish israeli dominac tion over east jerusalem thus making it virtually impossible to have a viable palestinian capital there u walajeh the village of walajeh which is located in southern jerusac c c lem close to bethlehem both inside and beyond the west jec c rusalem municipality border has traditionally been associatc ed with the cultivation of vineyards olive trees wheat barley and fruits after the naqba and the war of 1948 the village c was handed to israel in accordance with the terms of the arc mistice agreement signed with jordan on 3 april 1949 which stipulated that the southern jerusalem boundary line would run along the jerusalemcjaffa 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 building new and expansion of existing settlements along or beyond the municipal boundaries in addition to the settler activities mentioned above there is also of course the israeli government s ongoing settlement policy in east jerusalem and its wider metropolitan area at least 66 of the jerusalem of 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 more than 23,380 dunums of c mostly palestiniancowned land c over onecthird of east jec rusalem c for the construction of israeli settlements since 1967 fmep report on israeli settlement maycjune 1999 the construction and subsequent expansion of the settlements c with a population of approx 180c200,000 c was intended to secure israeli sovereignty over the entire jerusalem region the settlements form two rings around the city with the inner c ring around east jerusalem and the outer ring greater jec rusalem reaching far into the west bank thereby isolating arab east jerusalem and imposing economic strangulation on the palestinian territories natural center for trade and movement and cutting the west bank in half the `greater jerusalem plan is a political rather than geographical conc c cept 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 prec1967 israeli borders expanding existing settlements and establishing new ones c along or just beyond the municipal boundaries is part of israc c el s overall plan to form a jewish urban belt around palestinc ian east jerusalem pillars of this project are nof yael near walajeh in the southwest har homa ii in the south geva between geva binyamin and jerusalem in the north giv at ze ev s new `neighborhood agan ha ayalot in the northwest and the ma ale adumim/ec1 plan in the east walajeh after the war of 1967 the boundaries of the expanded east c jerusalem which israel had annexed illegally brought nearc ly the entire area 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 c land was annexed its residents were not and they were conc sequently not included in the subsequent israeli census as a result of this they received west bank id cards instead of jerusalem residency id cards to which they were legally entitled today the approx 2,000 residents of walajeh although livc c ing in jerusalem depend on the pa for all their services as the israeli ministry of interior still refuses to issue them with israeli id cards their village meanwhile is surrounded on all sides by jewish settlements har gilo and betar illit the new `givat or `nof yael settlement project was launched c in june 2004 the intention being that it would eventually proc vide 13,600 housing units for up to 60,000 settlers on 4,110 dunums and thus link jerusalem and the etzion settlement bloc half the land 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 c settlement is situated was purchased by the jewish nac tional 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 c documents however the israeli campaign of house demolic tions in the area suggests that the nof yael plan is/was both sponsored and approved by the state 11

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s 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 c by an israeli military order according to which some 40 duc nums of walajeh land was confiscated to make way for the construction of a new terminal in addition the revised route of the separation barrier approved by the israeli cabinet c on 30 april 2006 included the encirclement of walajeh leavc ing it completely fenced in and with only one access road passing through the israeli controlled har gilo terminal u geva the geva binyamin settlement also referred to as adam was established in 1984 2 km north of the municipal boundary of jerusalem 7 km from the green line it is situated outside east c of the separation barrier but a substantial part of its jurisdictionc al area to the west of the builtcup area is included on the `israeli side of the barrier in complete contiguity with the neve ya acov settlement which lies within the municipal boundaries in east jerusalem expanding the settlement with 1,200 housing units known as plan 240/3 or `geva is in effect an expansion of neve ya akov to which the new neighborhood will be attached the aim being to connect geva binyamin to the east most of the land covered by the plan has been declared state land c at the expense of land belonging to the palestinian village of hizma u jabal abu ghneim jabal abu ghneim was a treeccovered hill located within the southern municipal boundaries of jerusalem that was privately owned by palestinian families from beit sahour bethlehem sur baher and um tuba in 1968 the west jerusalem municipality classified it as a `green area c an area in which development c is restricted to as to preserve its ecological diversity neverthec less israel went ahead and confiscated the mountain in 1991 in order to build a new settlement after the israeli government s feb 1997 announcement that 6,500 jewish homes for some 30,000c40,000 israelis would be constructed there and the c beginning of construction work the following month palestinc ian protests led to a breakdown in the peace talks following these events and heavy international pressure construction c was eventually frozen a few months later the israeli governc ment tried to calm things down by offering to build 3,000 new apartments and 400 governmentcfinanced housing units in the c nearby arab neighborhood of sur baher in nov 1998 howc ever israel began leveling the hill and advertising for tenders with the actual construction of apartments beginning in aug 1999 in nov 2000 the west jerusalem municipality started planning for the construction of an additional 4,000 units har homa b the first settlers moved into har homa in jan 2002 and by sept 2005 some 2,500 housing units had been built ongoing construction at har homa u agan ha ayalot the new neighborhood of agan ha ayalot gazelle basin is located in western givat ze ev and is still under construction in the late 1990s the israel land administration sold plots for 546 housing units some of the 11 contractors who won tenders started construction work but interest was low bec c cause the site was too far removed from givat ze ev lacked infrastructure and was accessible only via route 443 which apart from facing attacks also led to modi in at the time competing for potential buyers today the complex stands c empty with the abandoned structures serving as silent tesc timony to the great debacle arik mirovsky it was exclusive on paper ha aretz 28 november 2005 the planning process pertaining to the establishment of c agan ha ayalot approval for which was obtained in octoc ber 2003 ended long before the planning of the separation barrier began the palestinians of nearby beit surik who opposed the route of the barrier as it would separate them from their farmland filed a petition but the state justified the route by referring to the need to protect an area where a new settlement c agan ha ayalot c was being built u beit safafa in beit safafa the givat hamatos settlement caravans are to be replaced by highcrise buildings and a new bypass road to connect the settlement with the nearby settlements of gilo and har homa www.stopthewall.org save jerusalem from the in the same area west of har homa and south of the mar elias monastery israel s ministry of housing and construction subsequently began planning a new settlement har homa c the first 983 units of which were approved in jan 2007 by the municipal building and planning committee in addition a new residential area hirbat mazmuria c `har homa d was planned southeast of har homa the plan being to extend har homa up to the municipal border but it is doubtful whether the aforementioned plans will actually materialize following the decision made by attorney general menachem mazuz who determined that it is forbidden to apply the absentee owners property law within the boundaries of jerusalem the west jerusalem municipality s master plan jerusalem 2000 points to the expansion of har homa by 28 1,410 dunums so that it eventually comprises some 2,500 dunums of land arij the geopolitical status of the jerusalem governora a ate dec 2006 apartheid wall and ethnic cleansing 2006 temporary settler housing at givat hamatos settlement 1

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s u settlement plans near qalandia on 27 feb 2007 ha aretz published a report concerning new all in jerusalem decemberwith 11,000 2005 israeli plans to build an ultra orthodox settlement mazra a qibliya lmon ein arik units near jalazoun rc airport and the atarot industrial zone to qalandia abu ein qash be connected via a tunnel ­ passing beneath kufr aqab and yabrud ofra the separation barrier c with the kokhav ya akov settlement bet rammun el east of ramallah if approved this would be the largest buildc c surda ing project to be implemented over the green line in jerusac c rl lem since the war of 1967 and the jewish presence it would beitin create in the north of jerusalem which would extend further to the settlements of the binyamin region would eventually alensure israel s complete hold on jerusalem bireh deir ramallah psagot dibwan burqa the construction of the new `judea and samaria district police building in the ec1 area between jerusalem and the ma ale adumim commenced on 14 dunums of land in march c 2006 for the connection with other israeli settlement activic c ties see also the section on ras alcamud above in addic tion the construction of a new neighborhood nof adumim has begun rimmonim beitunia al-amari rc on beitunia ofer migron kufr aqab rafat giv at ze ev giv on hdsha beit ijza al-jib west judeira kochav ya acov rama qalandia rc jaba ar-ram atarot site of planned new settlement sha ar binyamin and tunnel adam geva binyamin mikhmas ma ale mikhmas the new `judea and samaria district police building in the e-1 area aljib the total municipal area of ma ale adumim is 15 times larger c than its current builtcup area plo negotiations affairs departc ment barrier to peace assessment of israel s revised wall route updated version feb 2007 bir nabala biddu n.ya acov har shmuel nabi samwil bh balad beit hanina hizma anatot almon beit surik mevasseret zion beit iksa ramot p.ze ev shu fat rc r.shlomo rc fr.hill r.eshkol shu fat anata metz adumim anatot isawiya sh u ma ale adumim/e-1 plan jarrah wadi joz e1 rael walaja har gilo ttir to the northeast of jerusalem israel s separation barrier was constructed some 15 km into at-tur west bank in order to the include the entire adumim settlement bloc approx 47 km2 old west city al-izzariya where israel is pursuing plans to almost triple the current silwan size of ma ale erus abye m ras al the a s t to its east ec developing j adumim l ath-thuri amud e area 1 plan see box in order to connect it to abu jerusalem with dis j.mukabber sawahreh its current eastward expansion toward the mishor adumim east west beit c industrial park and the planned construction it will be pracc east safafa talpiot a palestinian state as the west tically impossible to establish sharafat bank will be cut into two territorial contiguity will thus be um wadi sheikh impossible to attain and the leisun area of undeveloped acc c nar g.hamatos sur last sa ad rd gilo cess will be taken thereby baher preventing the emergence of any har homa meaningful palestinian capital in the wadi plo negotiations city hummus mazmuria department israel s wall july 2005 za im beit jala bethlehem beit sahour dheisheh rc artas al-hindaza annuman ubeidiya kh.juhzum al-khas plan which has yet to be implemented involves the building of a large new israeli neighborhood in the narrow undeveloped land corridor that runs east of jet t mishor rusalem and is a part of the west bank the plan int t adumim volves about 12,000 dunums 12 km 2 of land a signifit t cant part of which is privately owned palestinian land most of the area was declared `state land by israel in the 1980s i.e land that is not owned by any individual and ma ale thus the property of the state in 1994 yitzhak rabin is adumim expanded the borders of ma ale adumim to include the et1 area but refrained from implementing any construct t qedar tion in accordance with an understanding with the us administration that the fate of the area would be detert t mined within the framework of the peace process the netanyahu government attempted to expedite the et1 master plan but it was not formally approved prime minister barak who supported the plan subsequently placed it on the negotiating table at taba in early 2001 but refrained from allowing any construction in the area to begin in 2002 then dm ben eliezer signed the et1 master plan into law but primarily because of us objections nothing else happened until midt2004 when the shat t ron administration commenced work clearing roads on infrastructure this action however was illegal since no specific town plan existed and thus no permits could be or were in fact issued in april 2005 the israeli authorities advertised the plan mevo adumim which includes 3,500 housing units for up to 20,000 settlers hotels an industrial park and commercial and entert t map © jan de jong tainment buildings kfar the adumimet1 e-1 plan east 1 plan alon khader neve aniyel shawawra rafidia w.rahhal harmala jurat ash-shama um salamuna efrata lazar za atara w an nis kfar eldad tekoa nokdim al tuqu beit fajjar 10 ongoing construction at ma ale adumim km 1

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s other related policies and plans u master plan jerusalem 2000 on 13 sept 2004 the mayor of jerusalem uri lupolianski disclosed the `united jerusalem town planning scheme known as master plan 2000 to serve as a mandatory map c for land use and a blueprint for other municipal planning purc poses until the year 2020 the `stated target of the plan is a city population made up of 70 jews and 30 palestinians attempts at geographic and demographic manipulation to counter the current trend which suggests a population ratio of 60:40 by 2020 include the construction of the separation barrier which excludes tens of thousands of palestinians from c living within the municipal borders the closure and house dec molition policies and the expropriation of palestinian land as well as of private property through attempts to apply the 1950 absentee property law master plan 2000 provides for the establishment of more jewish settlements for instance two additional settlements near har homa and numerous other jewish public institutions involving of course the further confiscation of palestinian land as well as the hampering of palestinian development the ignoring of palestinian housing demands and the further isolation of palestinian suburbs the plan further fails to propose any new industrial commerc c cial or service areas in east jerusalem and in fact proposes that the wadi alcjoz industrial area be extracted but whilst failing to specify an alternative location accusations that the project is primarily consolidating the occ c cupation and israel s settlement policies as well as the illegal c annexation of east jerusalem are further based on the followc ing facts · · · the project includes part of route 60 which is one of the main roads used by palestinians to reach the city and to travel between the north and south of the west bank the pa was not involved in the discussions although it is claimed that the project will serve palestinians as well as israelis c many of the potential palestinian passengers e.g resic dents of ras khamis the shu fat refugee camp and anata will not be able to use the tram as they are loc c cated on the `wrong side of the separation barrier at the north shu fat stop a 50cdunum plot owned by several palestinian families c currently zoned as `green area c has been earmarked as a parkcandcride lot the owners of the land however have not been offered dec c cent compensation nor can they afford to build shops and homes on part of the land as proposed le monde diplomatique 8 feb 2007 · · the suggested fare 1.37 although reasonable for isc c raeli passengers with their higher incomes is far from reasonable for many palestinians whose minibus public transportation system charges roughly half the amount le monde diplomatique 8 feb 2007 light rail full sytem u the jerusalem light rail mass transit system the israeli government approved the light rail project in c 1999 although it is `marketed as an ecological and economc ic necessity whose purpose is to lessen the congestion in jerusalem and as a project to benefit and serve both jewish settlements and certain palestinian neighborhoods there is little doubt that the main aim is to provide a link for the settlements in east jerusalem neve ya acov pisgat ze ev c french hill ma alot dafna and ramot with the west jeruc salem city center light rail system in 2000 the french company alstom won the internat t tional bid for the construction of the jerusalem light rail system and in 2002 connex a subsidiary of another french company veolia won the operating rights both subsequently formed a consortium called citypass with two israeli companies ashtrom construction and polt t lar investment as well as two israeli banks hapaolim and leumi and the contract was signed in july 2005 the initial aim is to carry 500 passengers by 2009 on each of 25 trains running between pisgat ze ev and mount herzl jerusalem s apartheid tramway le monde diplomatique 8 feb 2007 the plan altogether contradicts international law which stipulates inter alia that all measures taken by israel to alc c ter the physical character the demographic composition the institutional structure or status of the palestinian territories c including jerusalem have no legal validity unsc resoluc tion 465 of 1 march 1980 source the jerusalem transportation master plan team 1

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j e ru sale m israeli set tlement activities related polic ie s u safdie plan the plan named after the man behind it the architect moshe safdie was initiated during ehud olmert s tenure as west jerusalem mayor by the israel land administration and the c jerusalem development authority it called for the construcc tion of some 20,000 housing units on hills stretching over c 24,200 dunums to the west of jerusalem as well as the buildc ing of additional roads to serve the new neighborhoods after harsh opposition by environmentalists the national planning c and building board decided in oct 2006 to appoint an indec pendent investigator tomer guthalf on 6 feb 2007 the c board then voted to cancel the plan following the presentac tion of guthalf s report on land reserves in jerusalem which estimated that some 45,500 housing units could be built on existing land reserves in jerusalem in order to meet the city s housing demands until 2020 forecasted at between 33,500c45,500 units although the plan is not directly linked to palestinian issues of concern in the city its cancellation is expected to have major consequences in regard to palestinian development since jewish expansion and construction will now occur even more at the expense of palestinian land the expansion of settlements such as har homa being a good example borders and its demographic makeup by maximizing the number of palestinian jerusalemites living behind the wall c while maximizing the amount of palestinian land on the `isc raeli side of it on 30 april 2006 the israeli cabinet approved a revised route with revisions in the jerusalem area includc c ing the moving of beit iksa and its lands from the jerusalem side of the barrier to the biddu/beit surik group of west bank villages and the encirclement of walajeh with its consequent isolation from its farmland the length of the planned separation barrier is approx 760 km of which an estimated 150 km 18 will be built in and around jerusalem referred to as the `jerusalem envelope there is no exact figure for the `envelope s length as final approval of all sections of the route is still pending c clear however is the fact that the area enclosed by the barc rier will measure approx 164 km2 the current municipal area of jerusalem is 70 km2 and that palestinian residents will be separated not only from the city but also from each other in walajeh kufr aqab/semiramis and the shu fat refugee c camp the route of the barrier severs either the entire neighc borhood or a significant portion of it from the city ir amin beyond the wall jan 2007 u the separation barrier checkpoints terminals on 20 feb 2005 the israeli government confirmed the route of the separation barrier in the jerusalem area based on the declared intention of providing security to the residents of israel in reality the barrier serves to redefine jerusalem s there are currently 12 routes and crossings available for entering jerusalem from the west bank palestinian traffic into jerusalem is limited to using only four barrier crossings 1 qalandia from the north 2 gilo from the south 3 the shu fat refugee camp from the east and 4 ras abu sbeitan mi bar hazitim in hebrew between alcizzariya and atc tur for pedestrian residents of abu dis and alcizzariya the eight other routes and crossing points into jerusalem now c closed to west bank palestinians will remain open to resic dents of israel and noncisraelis with valid visas and are as follows ar-ram the beitunia commercial crossing hizma az-za im the tunnels on northcsouth bypass road 60 ein yalow near gilo ramot alon and bir nabala-atarot an c additional four more crossings are planned one near bethc lehem the mazmuria trade passage one in ras alcamud c one in nabi samwil and one in sheikh sa ad/jabal mukabc ber un ocha humanitarian update feb 2006 qalandia checkpoint in 2005 it was estimated that some 55,000 palestinian jeruc c salemites e.g residents of kufr aqab salam ras khamis anata qalandia and the shu fat refugee camp would be transferred to the west bank while an additional 60c80,000 palestinian jerusalem id card holders c unable to afford the housing prices in jerusalem c were already living outside the jerusalem municipal boundary e.g in arcram and would therefore be cut off from the city ministry of state for jerusalem part of the separation barrier at abu dis affairs out of gaza into jerusalem israel s threat to the twoa state solution aug 2005 1

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