Imminent Eviction in Sheikh Jarrah: The Sabbagh Family
The eviction of forty members of the Sabbagh family (including 30 children) from their home in Sheikh Jarrah is closer than ever. On November 15th, 2018, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected the family’s appeal against a 2012 decision of the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court that paved the way for the eviction (that petition was rejected based […]
Opening of the Segregated Road in Greater Jerusalem: A Major Step Towards de facto Annexation of Area C
On January 9, Israeli authorities opened a stretch of road northeast of Jerusalem, more than 4.5 km in length. Officially called Route 4370, this stretch of road is better known as the “apartheid Road,” due to the 8-meter-high wall running down its center. The purpose of that wall: to relegate Palestinian traffic to the two-lane […]
Accelerating the Pace for Construction of E-2
On December 26, 2018 – while most of the world was busy with the Christmas/New Year’s holidays – the Israeli government quietly notified the High Court of Justice that it had transferred 1182 dunams (291 acres) to the Israeli Ministry of Housing for the construction of a new “neighborhood” of the Efrat settlement to be […]
Reflections on Jerusalem, One Year After Trump Policy Shift
On December 6, 2017, President Trump broke with longstanding U.S. policy – dating back to before 1948 and the birth of the modern state of Israel – and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Now, just over a year later and on the eve of 2019, we offer these reflections on what this policy […]
Australia & The Perils of Recognition in Jerusalem
On December 15, 2018, the Prime Minister of Australia announced that Australia officially recognized West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This announcement came after months of debate and controversy. Ever since the Trump Administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017, and the subsequent May 2018 opening of the U.S. embassy in […]
Moving Embassies – Is Brazil Next?
On November 1, 2018, Brazil’s president-elect, Jair Bolsanaro, tweeted that he intends to fulfill his campaign promise and move Brazil’s embassy to Jerusalem. All signs point to a unprecedentedly strong relationship between Bolsanaro – an evangelical Christian – and the current Israeli government, starting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Brazil to attend Bolsanaro’s inauguration. Likewise, in […]
Bullying the World to Accept “Undivided Jerusalem” Mantra
In December 2017, days after President Trump’s announcement of US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the prestigious Jewish Museum in Berlin opened an ambitious, multi-faceted exhibit on Jerusalem. This is how the Museum describes the exhibit: “Synagogues, churches, and mosques shape our image of Jerusalem. The »Holy City« is an important center of faith for Jews, […]
A New Jerusalem Compound for Foreign Embassies?
According to Israeli media reports, Yoav Galant, Israel’s Housing and Construction Minister, is promoting the construction of a diplomatic compound for foreign embassies in Jerusalem. The compound will be located in the neighborhood of East Talpiot, close to the location of the new U.S. embassy. The move to establish the compound is clearly mostly for domestic […]
The 2018 Jerusalem Municipal Elections: Highlights & Lessons
As we noted in the run-up to the 2018 municipal elections in Jerusalem, there was unprecedented speculation regarding both possible Palestinian participation in the voting, and the likely impact of the election results on the Palestinian sector in East Jerusalem. The smoke has now cleared, and it is possible to examine what the actual election […]
The Closure of the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem
In light of the frenetic pace of events in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and throughout the region, the closure of the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem quickly disappeared from the news cycle, and after being a brief focus of attention. The implications and consequences of this move are worthy of greater attention. The […]