New Jerusalem “Trump Train Station”?
The day after Christmas 2017, Israeli Minister of Transportation Yaacov Katz announced that, as a thank you for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a new train station in the Old City would be named for President Trump. Katz stated: “The Kotel is the holiest place to the Jewish people, and I have decided to name the […]
Demolitions in East Jerusalem
Btselem has released updated data tracking demolitions in East Jerusalem. For 2017, Btselem reports that 61 housing units were demolished, leaving 155 people homeless, of which 86 were minors. This comes on the heels of even more demolitions in 2016: 88 units destroyed, 295 left homeless, of which 160 were minors. These were in addition to the […]
More Jews Going to Temple Mt/Haram al Sharif
According to a group that exists for the purpose of encouraging Jews to go to the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif, the number of Jews doing so in 2017 was up 75% from the previous year. That group, “Yeraeh-Volunteers encouraging ascent to the Temple Mount” claimed in a Facebook posted (reported on by Haaretz) that in 2017, 25,628 Jews visited the […]
New Bill to Revoke Residency Status of Jerusalem Palestinians
On January 3, 2018, a bill granting the Minister of Interior full discretion to revoke the permanent residency status of Palestinian residents living in East Jerusalem, or of residents living on the Golan Height, passed preliminary reading. Based on the proposed bill, the Minister of Interior will be able to revoke residency rights if, “according to his […]
Trump’s Jerusalem Decision & Its Aftermath
The smoke is beginning to clear in the wake of the Trump Administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. While it will be some time before the full ramifications of recognition are evident, some initial observations are in order. At least for the foreseeable future, the United States has disqualified itself as a […]
Knesset Passes New Law to Prevent Future Compromise on Jerusalem
As we have written previously, for months the Knesset has been considering legislation aimed at changing Israel’s “Basic Law: Jerusalem” in order to prevent a future territorial compromise on the city as part of any peace agreement. The start of the New Year and President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital brought these efforts to […]