3.5 About the neighborhood that once divided the village, is the street known as Ihud Ha-Kfar (Hebrew for “Unification of the Village”). Located in southern Jerusalem, Beit Safafa, along While the neighborhood’s population is comprised of Beit Safafa with the adjacent Sharafat neighborhood, is not both citizens and non-citizens of Israel, people do not Survey of Palestinian Neighborhoods in East Jerusalem contiguous with the other Palestinian neighborhoods necessarily choose to live along 48/67 lines. Jerusalem South of East Jerusalem. Beit Safafa borders on the Israeli Beit Safafa retains its rural character to this day, neighborhoods of Pat and Gonenim (in West Jerusalem) with relatively low buildings and agricultural plots to the north, Hebron Road to the east, Dov Yosef Road between the houses. However, the neighborhood (“the road up to Gilo”) to the west, and the post-1967 has seen population growth since the 1980s due to Israeli neighborhood of Gilo to the southwest. Before inward migration. Much like the north-Jerusalem being included within Jerusalem’s current municipal neighborhoods of Beit Hanina and Shuafat, Beit Safafa borders, Beit Safafa was an independent agricultural is a neighborhood of choice for Palestinian-Israelis village located to the southwest of Jerusalem, along settling in Jerusalem, with more than half of them living • the Refaim Valley. At the end of the 1948 war, the in Beit Safafa. With Israel’s ongoing construction of Beit Safafa Zone Green Line was drawn through the northern part of the Separation Barrier, many Jerusalemite Palestinians Beit Safafa, splitting the village into two. The northern have moved to neighborhoods on the Israeli side of the (smaller) section became part of the State of Israel and barrier, Beit Safafa among them. Beit Safafa’s proximity its residents were granted Israeli citizenship, while the to the more adequate infrastructures and services of southern section of the village came under Jordanian the neighboring Jewish-Israeli neighborhoods and rule. After the 1967 war, the village was reunited, to the industrial and commercial zone of Talpiyot, this time under Israeli control, and the residents of increases its desirability in comparison to other the southern part of the village received permanent Palestinian neighborhoods. residency status. Today, along the route of the fence H w y MAP OF ZONES 6 Facts 0 ( o l d Kafr ) Population 10,500 Aqab 43 wy 4 Area 2,091 dunam H H wy 45 H wy 60 4 0 Ramallah 4 Road y w H Rd. 20 R a m a l l a h R d . Anata Hwy 1 City Mt. Jaff a R Center Scopus d. & H 1 4 w y . Mt. of Olives d R Greater Silwan . d R n o Jabal r b al- e H Mokabber Map Legend Beit Safafa Al- East Jerusalem Old City Walaje Sur Baher Expropriated Land Green Line Northern Zones ) Separation Barrier d l 60 o y ( Hw Central Zones Roads 0 6 y Southern Zones West Jerusalem w H 3.5 Main Problems in Beit Safafa the fact that they serve primarily non-residents at different phases of authorization, except for areas, it has no drainage lines. Likewise, street lighting ROAD 4 SOUTH of the neighborhood. This system of main one which was rejected after public review. The in the neighborhood is insufficient, an example of Beit Safafa Housing Shortage roads isolates the neighborhood and turns main plan, which has already been approved, this being Ihud Ha-Kfar Street, which, despite being Today, the most troubling issue for the residents of Beit Safafa The neighborhood plans grant limited it into a series of islands caught between covers a previously unplanned area of 160 the historic neighborhood’s main street, has no is the construction of Road 4 South through the heart of the building rights in the designated residential huge transportation arteries. Moreover, the dunam and adjacent areas, designating more street lights. neighborhood, from northwest to southeast, splitting the areas. Detail plans have provided some Jerusalem Municipality is currently working than 200 dunam for high-density housing (with neighborhood and severely damaging the fabric of life of its improvement, but these apply to only a to complete another major highway (Road 4 the kind of building rights that are only seen in The Jerusalem 2000 Outline Plan residents. This stretch of highway is in effect the missing link small area of the neighborhood and do not South; see inset). The neighborhoods’ internal West Jerusalem and in Israeli neighborhoods in The as-yet unapproved Jerusalem Outline Plan in Road 4 (commonly known as Begin Road), completing the provide a solution to the housing shortage. system of roads, used by the residents, is East Jerusalem). The new settlement project ostensibly proposes significant expansion prospects north-south route for bypassing the city and enabling residents of In addition, Beit Safafa does not have land underdeveloped and badly maintained, often will thus provide a huge cache of apartments for the eastern side of Beit Safafa. In fact, however, settlements to the north and south of Jerusalem (along Highways reserves for future development, with posing a danger for the residents. (and will be a real estate boon for the state) the unbuilt area of the expansion is contained within 443 and 60, respectively) quick access through and beyond the the exception of the area known as at- creating a very apparent physical contrast the plans for the Givat Ha-Matos neighborhood, city. Preparations for implementation of the highway entailed the Tabaleyah, which was expropriated and is Givat Ha-Matos to rural Beit Safafa, where building rights which is designated for Jewish-Israeli settlement and expropriation of large amounts of private land from the residents in advanced stages of planning for Israeli- Givat Ha-Matos, known by Beit Safafans as at- and possibilities for expansion will remain use (see: Givat Ha-Matos). In addition, the Jerusalem of the neighborhood, and the highway is yet another layer in Jewish use (see: Givat Ha-Matos). Beit Safafa Tabaleyah (The Drummers’ Hill), is located in comparably unimproved. Parcelization of 2000 Outline Plan features a neighborhood park for the network of roads running through the village while primarily is surrounded on all sides, either by Israeli southeast Beit Safafa and is the neighborhood’s the main plan, the last step needed before Beit Safafa, to be built on private agricultural land, serving residents of other neighborhoods. Alongside the damage neighborhoods (in both West Jerusalem and last remaining land reserve. According requesting building permits, was approved following its expropriation. On the other hand, some to the village as a whole, the highway will also harm specific East Jerusalem) and by main roads that not to the residents of the neighborhood, the after being fast-tracked, as part of Israel’s of the areas designated in the outline plan as open populations, among them students, the elderly, and the disabled, only limit the possibility of expansion but area includes lands that were purchased by punitive measures against the Palestinian spaces, have in fact been allocated and approved for whom access to daily services will be greatly impeded. were built on private lands expropriated Beit Safafa residents from the Jordanian Authority for turning to the UN for partial for Road 4, effectively severing the contiguity of Based on the building permits, issued in August 2012, the highway from the neighborhood’s residents. The government in the 1960s. Since this purchase recognition. the open areas of the heart of the neighborhood is being dug like a canal, with only a very small section (180 lack of land reserves for expansion increases was never formalized in the Land Registry (a (see inset). Likewise, the plan designates the village meters) being covered. After construction began, residents the need for higher-density building rights typical problem in all of East Jerusalem) the The Train-Track Park and Road 34 core as a preservation site, which will entail a whole launched a public campaign and petitioned the court, arguing within the neighborhood, notwithstanding the distant hill was declared state land after 1967. Along the old train tracks, which run through other set of limitations on development and renewal that the construction of the highway is illegal due to the fact detriment to its rural character. The land is mostly vacant today, though it Beit Safafa as well as other neighborhoods of in Beit Safafa. that the authorities skipped over the detailed planning stage was used in the 1990s to house Jewish new the city, the so-called Train-Track Park is nearly (including deposition for public review), which is prerequisite Roads immigrants in caravans, some of which are completed (2013). This is a linear park that for receiving permits. In their petition, the residents requested Two central systems of roads exist in Beit still inhabited. While the area is essential for includes play areas for children, sitting areas, that a significantly larger segment of the highway be covered Safafa. The first is the system of main arteries any reasonable future development in Beit a bicycle path, and a pedestrian path. The park so as to salvage the contiguity of the neighborhood and surrounding and running through the area of Safafa, it is in advanced stages of planning is divided into sections of varying widths, and, the connections between residents on either side of the the village. These arteries connect different for Jewish-Israeli settlement. There are four following a decision to implement Road 34, transportation artery. After the petition was rejected, an points in the city and are built on lands plans in the works, including vast areas of both the part of the park in Beit Safafa will be much appeal was filed to the Supreme Court.