Tensions Growing [again] Focused on Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif
The tragic stabbing attack at the Lion’s Gate in Jerusalem on March 13, in which two Israeli policemen were injured and the young Palestinian assailant was shot dead, comes in the context of rising tensions prompted by a series of measures that reinforce the perception among Palestinians living in East Jerusalem that Israel is determined to deny their religious […]
Palestinian Residency Rights: Important Court Ruling
The Israeli High Court of Justice this week issued a precedent-setting verdict regarding Palestinian residency rights in Jerusalem. In that ruling, the Ministry of Interior was ordered to restore the residency rights of Akram Abd al-Haqq, a Palestinian born in Jerusalem before the 1967 war. Abd al-Haqq left Jerusalem with his parents at the age of 9. […]
Limiting Settlement Construction to the “Blocs” – Implications for Jerusalem
Today we are witnessing the re-emergence of an old idea that has popped up periodically over the years: a belief that political processes that will ultimately lead to a two-state outcome can be re-started based on based on the embrace of an approach to settlements that differentiates between areas inside and outside the settlement “blocs*.” […]
To Move, or Not to Move (the Embassy), That Is the Question
There are competing theories about why President Trump has so far opted not to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. In a recent interview in Politico, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker (R-TN) said, “They were ready to move the embassy at 12:01 on Jan. 20, maybe 12 and 30 seconds…That was […]
Paving the Way for Annexation?
On February 19, the IDF distributed 40 orders “to cease construction” in Al Khan Al Ahmar, a Bedouin village located northeast of Jerusalem, between Maale Adumim and Kfar Adumim, north of Road No. 1 (within what Netanyahu and others consider the “Maale Adumim bloc and as part of “Greater Jerusalem”). Details are as follows: The orders target, […]
Work Starting on Eastern Ring Road?
Al Jazeera is reporting that demolition orders have been handed down to Palestinians in East Jerusalem, in connection with the goal of building a major new road cutting through the East Jerusalem Palestinian neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber. In addition, we have noted the beginning of construction of a new interchange at the A-Zayyem junction on the Jerusalem-Maaleh […]
East Jerusalem Settlement Activity & the Onset of the Trump Era: What to Watch
East Jerusalem Settlement Activity & the Onset of the Trump Era: What to Watch
In recent weeks, the main focus of concern regarding Jerusalem has been the question: will President Trump move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem? Our in-depth analysis of the implications of such a move is here. In parallel, another highly problematic issue has been at the fore of the Israeli government’s agenda: legislation for the […]
Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem: A Hard Look at the Arguments & Implications
The political status of Jerusalem has long been the third rail in the Israeli-Palestinian arena, and the controversy surrounding the question of moving the U.S. embassy from its current location in Tel Aviv to Israel’s declared capital of Jerusalem has long been emblematic of that volatility. For years, U.S. Presidential candidates regularly promised to make […]
Rumors & Lobbying Around Possible US Embassy Relocation to Jerusalem
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat is actively lobbying the incoming U.S. administration of Donald Trump to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Barkat made that case in an interview he gave to the New York Times during his recent visit to New York. He also reportedly used that […]