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 […]
Trump’s New Jerusalem Policy: Early Assessment
The full implications of President Trump’s proclamation declaring U.S recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and his announcement of the commencement of the process to move the U.S. embassy there, remain to be seen. It is far too early to fully determine what will be the diplomatic, political, and security implications of this American policy shift. […]
Will There be Violence? Too Soon to Say.
A lot of apocalyptic predictions have circulated against the backdrop of Trump’s Jerusalem proclamation. In fact, while the days immediately after the speech saw a series of mostly minor demonstrations and clashes, it is far too early for anyone to say whether the situation will escalate into a more major confrontation with Israeli authorities, who for now […]
Amendment to Jerusalem Basic Law Moves Forward
In its meeting on November 28th, the Knesset’s Constitution, Justice and Law Committee approved a pending piece of legislation designed to obstruct any future peace agreement with the Palestinians, by making it much harder for any government to give up Israeli control over any part of Jerusalem. The committee’s approval opens the way for the second and […]
Planned Demolitions in Kafr Aqab
As published in various media outlets at the end of October, Jerusalem municipal authorities plan to demolish four buildings (not five or six, as reported in some outlets) in Kafr Aqab, on a street adjacent to the separation barrier (which in this area takes the form of a huge wall). Kafr Aqab, it should be recalled, is […]
Another Jerusalem-Area Bedouin Community Under Threat
Jabal al-Baba is a Bedouin community located in E-1, between East Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim. Its residents have lived in the area since they were forced off their land in the Negev as part of the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. In mid-November, the IDF ordered all 300 residents of the community to leave the village. […]