The Wadi Hummus demolitions: unlike anything witnessed to date
On June 11, the High Court of Justice rejected a suit filed by the residents of the East Jerusalem Palestinian neighborhood of Sur Bahir that moved to forbid the demolition of 13 buildings located in Wadi Al Hummus, on the southern perimeter of the neighborhood. The area in question differs from the other sections of Sur Bahir. […]
Clashes on Temple Mount/Haram El Sharif at the end of Ramadan/Jerusalem Day
Context: what is Jerusalem Day? Traditionally, Jerusalem Day is the official state holiday commemorating the “reunification of Jerusalem” in 1967. With the ascendancy of an increasingly extreme religious right in the city and beyond, Jerusalem Day has turned into a highly nationalistic celebration, associated almost exclusively to that religious right, dotted with a couple of […]
Final ruling validates the lease of three properties to settlers group at the Jaffa Gate
The Israeli High Court rejected the appeal of the Greek Orthodox Church, reaffirming the 2017 verdict of the Jerusalem District Court which validated the lease of three sites located in the Old City close to the Jaffa Gate to settler group Ateret Cohanim. The Supreme Court determined that the Greek Orthodox Church did not submit sufficient evidence […]
The Opening of Trade Offices in Jerusalem
Hungary opening of trade diplomatic office in Jerusalem First diplomatic mission to be opened in Jerusalem by an EU member state – On March 19, Hungary opened a trade diplomatic mission in Jerusalem, stressing the fact that the mission has diplomatic status. This constitutes the most significant deviation to date from the longstanding EU policy regarding the political […]
Joint statement of Pope Francis and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI
On March 30, at the opportunity of the Pope’s visit to Morocco, King Mohammed VI and Pope Francis issued a joint statement, reportedly unscheduled, about the need to protect and preserve freedom of worship for the three monotheistic religions: “We consider it important to preserve the Holy City of Jerusalem/Al-Quds Acharif as the common patrimony of […]
Demolitions in Shuafat
Shuafat was again targeted, twice: a school was demolished on March 19 and a residential building was demolished in April 2. Until a year ago Israeli authorities were avoiding entering Shuafat to demolish structures located beyond the separation barrier (but within Jerusalem municipal boundaries). It seems that since the Israeli police demolished 21 shops last November, this kind of operations has […]
Bab al Rahme – Tensions continue
Court’s temporary order to close Bab Al Rahme –On Sunday March 17, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court issued a temporary order to close the site of Bab Al Rahme located near the Mercy gate/Golden Gate, until legal proceedings are completed and gave the Waqf 60 days to respond. Jordan condemned the decision and rejected the authority of the court. Notably, […]
The Jerusalem municipality and Elad jointly advance the expansion of Elad’s activities in Abu Tor
Jerusalem municipality has submitted a request to Jerusalem District Planning Committee to change the status of the “Peace Forest” so as to allow Elad organization to develop tourist activities on the site (for a description of Elad’s projects there, see our report here). One of Elad’s projects consists in the establishment of an Omega/zip line, to […]
Special Issue: Jerusalem & the 2019 Israeli Elections Campaign Anticipating & Prioritizing Potential Israeli Government Actions in the Jerusalem Area
Like most people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a creature of habits – and one of those habits relates to how he uses the issue of Jerusalem in elections. In the past, Netanyahu has repeatedly used last-minute Jerusalem related events in order to energize his base. For example, in 1996, he engaged in the […]
The Jerusalem Aerial Cable Car: Plan Deposited for Public Review
On January 28, the Ministry of Interior deposited for public review the plan for the Old City aerial cable car (published in local newspaper). Interested parties now have 60 days to submit any objections to the plan. After this period, a public hearing is to take place, before moving the plan to final approval. The […]