Mon 27th of June
After introductions from Rami Nasralleh (Chairman of IPCC ), Meir Margalit ( Left wing Israeli polititian) and Prof. Rassem Khamaisi ( Head of IPCC Planning Team) we were taken for an East Jerusalem trip. From the windows of the coach and a few viewing points over the city we were shown Palestinians neighbourhoods and Jewish settlements (the term settlement only applies to a Jewish neighbourhood on the Palestinian Occupied Land). Striking is the difference between the two typologies, the organised defensive new settlements next to the organic unplanned Palestinians areas. Few important points were brought up that day:
First and foremost the 'demographomania'. The issue of proportion of Palestinian and Israeli population in Jerusalem over time. Israeli government assumes in its planning of the city and its policies the proportion of 30 to 70, yet reality is different with more than 35% Palestinians in Jerusalem. This number will increase as statistics show a growing number of Palestinian children born in Jerusalem (43% Palestinian children up to age of 10). Yet Jerusalem Municipality designates less than 10 % if its budget to the social infrastructure of East Jerusalem at the same encouraging the Israeli population to move in to new settlements. Not very fair! It is clear the war is on. Few more points demonstrates how fierce is the fight. Palestinians can only live in Jerusalem if they reside and are registered in a property here. Matters not if a property is built legally or not. The Palestinian population living outside Municipal boundaries of Jerusalem is not allowed into the city. If a Jerusalem Palestinian wants to marry Palestinian living outside the city, she or he will not get papers to join their husband/wife and reside together in Jerusalem. Only those born here are allowed to stay here. This situation is a result of 1992 policies of Israeli government and it created over 2 declares an atmosphere of fierce Arab resistance to remain in what used to be Palestinian territories.
This situation leads to a jet another point and that is the land. Over the years the Palestinian population has lost big chunk of their land. Municipality of Jerusalem has practiced designating areas as parks on Palestinian land to receive ownership of the land to later develop it as a settlement. Also any unoccupied property by Israeli law becomes the ownership of the Municipality, and there were many vacated Arab properties post 1967 war, where return of Palestinian population was and remains impossible. It's a clever mix of legislations presented to us as strong weapons of 'demographomania' war.
With increased number of Palestinian population over an area that is shrinking and the must of residence to be able to stay in Jerusalem pressure to build is on. Yet to build it not so easy. I understood it to be a lengthy 3 to 4 year process to get a planning decision which could be 'no'. Jerusalem has an post war outdated masterplan. Most neighbourhoods are working to local masterplans, but more often than not there is no masterplan, and houses grow like mushrooms after the rain. Old houses of maximum 2 storeys grow by another 3 sorties and a couple of additions. New buildings are built on plots that have no right to build on them. Palestinians build and register their illegal properties, get papers to reside in Jerusalem and start paying yearly penalties on their properties awaiting demolitions!
How the situation looks on the other Israeli site in do not know, but the difference in money invested on both sides of the old city walls is striking.
It was a long day and a lot to take in. For even more: a brief outline of the history of Israeli occupation this is the website to look at: http://www.arij.org/atlas40/chapters.html .
Also we were recommended a website of Jerusalem Applied Research Institute: http://www.arij.org/
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