Jordan’s Growing Discontent with Israeli Provocations Over the Temple Mount/al-Haram al-Sharif
On May 31, Jordan conveyed an official message to the Israeli government, complaining that Israel has authorized the entry of Jewish extremists into the Al Aqsa compound “under the protection of the Israeli police.” This comes in the context of a serious escalation in recent days in the tone of Jordan’s complaints towards Israel, signaling the Hashemite […]
Cabinet Approves Projects for Old City, Historic Basin, & East Jerusalem (Inside the Barrier)
In the context of the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s “reunification,” the Israeli Cabinet approved a number of projects targeting East Jerusalem. Details of these are as follows: The Cable Car (or, the next step in the Disney-ification of the Old City & Historic Basin).On May 28, the Cabinet announced approval of a plan for the […]
Trump Signs Waiver, Postponing Embassy Move
Following months of speculation – will he? won’t he? — on June 1, President Trump signed a national security waiver of the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, postponing for 6 months the requirement to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In signing the waiver, Trump follows in the footsteps of every U.S. president […]
Trump Visit & Jerusalem Day: Before, During, & After
Before Reports of Imminent New Settlement Plans. In the weeks and days leading up to the visit of President Trump to Israel and to Jerusalem Day 2017, there were credible and consistent reports of impending announcements of significant East Jerusalem-related settlement projects (notably, Givat Hamatos and Atarot), with such announcements reportedly set to coincide with the visit and […]
Cabinet Approves Projects for Old City, Historic Basin, & East Jerusalem (Inside the Barrier)
Cabinet Approves Projects for Old City, Historic Basin, & East Jerusalem (Inside the Barrier) In the context of the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s “reunification,” the Israeli Cabinet approved a number of projects targeting East Jerusalem. Details of these are as follows: 1. The Cable Car (or, the next step in the Disney-ification of the Old […]
URGENT/BREAKING NEWS: Imminent Tenders for Givat Hamatos
Last week saw press reports, based on sources within Israel’s Ministry of Construction, suggesting that the Netanyahu government intends to announce the construction of 15,000 settlement units in East Jerusalem, on or about May 23/24 – that is, coinciding with Jerusalem Day and a possible visit to Israel by President Trump. According to these reports, which […]
Imminent Announcements: Atarot & Ramat Shlomo
The same press reports that last week raised the specter of devastating tenders for Givat Hamatos also raised the specter – less devastating but still extremely problematic – of 10,000 new units in Atarot, on the site of the Qalandia airport and 3000 units will be in Ramat Shlomo. Atarot: The 10,000 units in the news for Atarot are […]
New Settler “Visitors’ Center: in Ras El Amud
On April 28, the Jerusalem Development Authority – an Israeli governmental organization – deposited a plan for public review (Plan #0470484) towards the goal of taking a 1.3-dunam plot of land in Ras el Amud and turning it into a visitors’ center for the Mount of Olives cemetery. The plan received wide coverage in the Israeli […]
The New UNESCO Resolution & Jerusalem
On May 3, UNESCO adopted a decision relating to the Occupied Territories, including a section on Jerusalem. The official text is here. Ten countries voted against the resolution: the US, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Greece, Paraguay, Ukraine, Togo, and Germany. What was Israel’s position vis-a-vis the resolution? Like the UNESCO text of October 2016, […]
Working Toward a New US-Israel Understanding on Settlements
The visit to Israel of President Trump’s special envoy Jason Greenblatt on the week of March 13 was followed by a series of reports describing the Israeli-American consultation process aimed at achieving an understanding on future constructions in the settlements. Some of these reports described a quite advanced stage of discussion, within the framework of which the contours of the understanding […]