# Presentation for Shutafut - Reconstructing Judaism: Ir Amim and Human Rights Activism in East Jerusalem by Shaiya Rothberg. Feel free to contact [me](https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/shaiya-rothberg/) at [email protected] [Ir Amim's website.](https://www.ir-amim.org.il/en) [Donation page for Ir Amim](https://www.ir-amim.org.il/en/donate) ## 1. Overview of East Jerusalem - The population of Jerusalem Al-Quds is roughly 1,000,000 people: About 60% Jews (600,000) and 40% Palestinians (400,000). - Most Palestinians live in what is known as "East Jerusalem" which consists of territories conquered in 1967 and were subsequently annexed by the State of Israel. Almost all international authorities regard Israel's annexation as illegal. - Palestinian Jerusalemites, the vast majority of which are permanent residents who are denied citizen rights, face brutal and systematic discrimination in almost all facets of life: **The state seeks to increase the Jewish population and serve its needs while expelling, dispossessing and oppressing Palestinians**. - For an overview of Israeli policy in East Jerusalem, see [State of the Occupation - Year 57: A Joint Situation Report](https://www.ir-amim.org.il/en/node/2993) pgs. 33-38. Here are some "highlights": - **Discriminatory urban planning**: Intentional prevention of legal housing and community development in Palestinian areas. [Planning has now been completely halted by new protocol. ](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ipy-qVwn6C7yr_RsskfpRsI0Q7Mq2eS7/view) See also Ir Amim's report [Planned Negligence](https://www.ir-amim.org.il/sites/default/files/Planned%20Negligence_June2021.pdf). - **Home demolitions**. Israel destroys hundreds of structures each year, roughly half of them homes, claiming they are "illegal" (while in fact it is the intentional prevention of legal building for Arabs which is illegal). - **Family Evictions**. Hundreds of families face eviction from their private homes based on discriminatory laws as part of an effort to "Judaize" neighborhoods by evicting Palestinians and replacing them with Jewish settlers, particularly in the "holy" or "historic" basin: the Old City and its surrounding neighborhoods. - **Settlement expansion**: Planning and building settlements for Jews while utilizing denial of planning, demolitions and evictions to dispossess Palestinians. [Six new settlements in preparation](https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?u=6a7a435a1c6d7fa55daae8d58&id=f3956b0553). - **Dividing wall and restriction of movement**. Roughly 80,000 Palestinian Jerusalemites have been cut off from the city as a result of the "security barrier" built over the last decades, resulting in a lack of basic services such as water, sanitation, police protection, health care and freedom of movement. [See information here. ](https://www.ir-amim.org.il/en/issue/separation-barrier) - **Police brutality and neglect**. Israeli policing for Palestinians is characterized by discriminatory violence and militaristic behavior. - **Discrimination in education, health, municipal services** etc. The state and city invest much less than 40% of their budget in the areas populated by Jerusalem's 40% of the population which are Palestinians, resulting in severe shortages in classrooms, clinics, parks and infrastructure and other vital services. - **SOLT: The Settlement of Land Title**. Over the last few years Israel has renewed the registration of land ownership in East Jerusalem primarily as a tool to dispossess Palestinians of their property and transfer it to Jewish settler organizations. See [The Grand Land Theft ](https://www.ir-amim.org.il/en/node/2972)report by Ir Amim and Bimkom ## 2. Overview of Ir Amim's Activities - _[Hope from Jerusalem: 13 Principles for Future Israeli-Palestinian Peace in Jerusalem as the Capital of Two Peoples.](https://mcusercontent.com/6a7a435a1c6d7fa55daae8d58/files/aa965f99-f687-daf1-70d4-3b76c54674a4/HOPE_FROM_JERUSALEM_ENG_WEB.pdf)_ - **Monitor** harmful developments and policies in East Jerusalem, from displacement measures such as home demolitions and evictions, to restrictions on freedom of movement and worship - **Uncover and document** the effect of Israeli policies on the city’s Palestinian population, such as the land registration and planning practices that restrict urban development for Palestinians - **Oppose** settlement construction and the expansion of settlement projects within Palestinian neighborhoods - **Mitigate** disparities in governmental budgets and service provision (such as freedom of movement, access to water, municipal services) - **Advocate** against discriminatory practices and policies and for more equal and just measures, including **litigation** in a variety of areas, such as access to buying properties in new neighborhoods, protection from settler expansion, challenging authority given to settler organizations (such as Ateret Cohanim in Silwan) and many other examples. - **Educate** for change, through seminars, tours, courses and publications, reaching thousands of people each year. - **Mobilize** Israeli civil society activism and joint action and solidarity with Palestinian residents for equality and human rights. ## 3. Case Study: Silwan and Israeli-Palestinian Civil Society Activism - **Batan al-Hawa**. [Overview](https://www.ir-amim.org.il/sites/default/files/Broken%20Trust-Settlement%20in%20Batan%20al-Hawa-Silwan.pdf). [More recent updates](https://mailchi.mp/ir-amim/district-court-rules-to-evict-66-palestinians-from-their-homes-in-batan-al-hawa-silwan-in-favor-of-settlers?e=[UNIQID]). Roughly 85 families facing evictions. - **Al-Bustan**. Information [here](https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?u=6a7a435a1c6d7fa55daae8d58&id=07e4a598c8) and [here](https://peacenow.org.il/en/the-demolitions-in-al-bustan-silwan-on-the-path-to-destroying-an-entire-neighborhood). Roughly 150 families facing home demolitions. - **Wadi Hilweh**. Residents face dispossession, harassment and expulsion as a result of the settler compound / archeological site known as the City of David. [Background](https://www.ir-amim.org.il/en/report/shady-dealings-silwan).