s;q-elJV reuopEw;nuI JO APl1lS :np JOJ AJ~POS :')!W~P~:')V lre!D!ls~red VISSVd r ~d ~J PASSIA) the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study ofIn­ ternational Affairs) is an Arab) non-profit Palestinian institu­ tion) with a financially and legally independent status. It is not affiliated with any government, political party or organization. PASSIA seeks to present the Question ofPalestine in its national) Arab and international contexts through academic research) dialogue and publication. PASSIA endeavors that research undertaken under its auspices be specialized) scientific and objective and that its symposia and workshops) whether international or intra-Palestinian) be open, self-critical and conducted in a spirit of harmony and coopera­ tion. Allison B. Hodgkins is the Academic Director ofthe "Academic Studies Abroad - Middle East: Peace & Conflict" Program of the School for International Training (S11) Vermont) USA. This study - which is presented as the second part ofHodgkins) research on Israeli policies and practices in Jerusalem - represents the free expression ofits author and does not necessarily represent the judgement or opinions ofPASSIA. The paper is presented as part ofthe PASSIA &search Studies Program of1998, which is kindly supported by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) Jerusalem. Copyright © P ASSIA First Edition - December 1998 PASSIA Publication Tel: 972-2-6264426 • Fax: 972-2-6282819 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.passia.org PO Box 19545 • Jerusalem ~ Foreword .............................................................. Introduction .......................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Palestinian West Jerusalem - The City Before 1948 ..... 7 Chapter 2: The Old City ofJerusalem - Inside Its WaUs ............ 21 Chapter 3: Israeli Settlements in East Jerusalem Since 1967 ....... 41 Chapter 4: Palestinian Neighborhoods in East Jerusalem .......... 63 ChapterS: Greater Jerusalem .............................................. 79 Travel Tips, Resources and Information ........................ 109 Appendices A. Statistics ...................................................... 117 B. Israeli Methods ofExpropriating Land and ControUing Palestinian Development ................. 118 C. Settlements and International Law ..................... 120 D. Resources for Further Information ................... 121 E. Contact Addresses for Advocacy ...................... 123 FDUMlc-ui What is Jerusalem? The question might as well be who is God, or what is faith? Jerusalem is, in the words of an Armenian Jerusalemite, a city of mirrors, where each person's vision of the city depends on the angle from which they look through the glass. Thus, the Jerusalem of a Western Christian is very different from that of a Diaspora Jew, and those two visions diverge from those of Palestinian Christians or Moslems or Israeli Jews. It is this intangible nature ofJerusalem that makes the city so ethereal, so unreal, and so spirituaL Jerusalem is much more than the city or the holy sites: Jerusalem is a symbol, yet it is a symbol for a multitude of changing things. Jerusalem is in­ tensely personal, yet, at the same time, it is also universal. The inher­ ent holiness of the city, built on millenniums of faith, has given it a quality so intensely spiritual that it almost floats above the earth in our minds. Jerusalem is the essence of sacred space. However, Jerusalem is also a modern city with modern problems. The authors of the Hebrew scriptures were very wise in pointing out this distinction by separating Jerusalem into Yerushalim Shel-Malah and Yerushalim Shel-Mata: 'Jerusalem of the sky' and 'Jerusalem of the earth'. According to this separation, a distinction was made between the sacred and profane; thus, Caesar could be responsible for garbage collection without sullying the dty as a place for prayer. Unfortunately, in the throes of the modern national struggle, this dis­ tinction has been lost. Now, heaven and earth collide like two tectonic plates, making Jerusalem the epicenter of seismic activity in the Pales­ tinian-Israeli conflict. In this prism, compromise on anything that has been draped in the cloak of 'Jerusalem' becomes akin to blasphemy. Every motion in the city takes on an emotional intensity that can cause the tenuous status quo to explode. In short, Jerusalem the Holy is also Jerusalem the intractable political mess. How is it possible to negotiate rationally on Jerusalem? As the focal point of the conflict, it is fairly easy to determine where the problem begins. The heart of Jerusalem - and the heart of the conflict - is of course the religious shrines found within the walls of the Old City. However, it is not the center of Jerusalem that is the focus of this book. Rather, it is the outer limits of the Holy City that serve as the subject of this work. With the emotional gaze of the in­ ternational debate directed at heavenly Jerusalem, the rapid expansion of 'sacred space' into tbe West Bank hinterlands escapes our notice. Suddenly, remote hillsides and farming villages that were never con­ sidered part of any urban area, or as having any particular religious significance, are suddenly Jerusalem - suddenly holy and suddenly beyond compromise. While settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza is almost univer­ sally condemned and recognized as a violation of International Law, settlement for the sake of Jerusalem is somehow excused as an internal Israeli matter. This discrepancy comes from the same contradiction between heaven and earth that clouds the political debate. When we read an article about settlements in Jerusalem, our gaze is somehow blurred by our own images ofJerusalem, the heavenly city, and we are no longer sure what we are talking about. About this Book This book attempts to draw a distinction between the spiritual con­ nections to Jerusalem and the implications of the modern political struggle for the sovereignty on the city and its residents. This work puts aside spiritual considerations and focuses on showing the reader the facts on the ground. It is designed as a tool for understanding how Israeli policy works in Jerusalem, specifically how settlement ac­ tivity in the city relates to the larger Israeli agenda. Unlike other guidebooks on Jerusalem, which attempt to give the visitor a compre­ hensive picture of the city, the sole focus of this work is the impact of these policies on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The intent in presenting this information in the format of a 'guide­ book' is to provide interested groups and individuals with the facts and figures needed to interpret the changes that have taken place in Jerusalem since 1948. The information presented here is neither secret 11 nor subversive. It represents a well-researched collection of historical information and published statistics that describe the issue of settle­ ments. It will be a useful companion for journalists, peace activists, foreign NGO employees, alternative travel or church groups, and other tourists and individuals concerned with the future of Jerul,alem and the peace between Israelis and Palestinians. This book assumes a basic knowledge of the history and politics of Jerusalem since 1948. It includes historical summaries of the essential issues, maps and statistics and has a comprehensive appendix with tips for visitors to Israeli settlements, as well as contact and resource in­ formation. Ifreviewed before an excursion, the different chapters will help place the sites visited in the current political context. Each chapter begins with important statistical information pertaining to the chapter's focus and includes a brief introduction to the issue. In the annex, one then can fmd tips detailing where to go to witness the policy effects or find additional information. The main body of each chapter contains an­ notated text highlighting key sites or components of Israeli policy. Major sites or terms are highlighted in bold to facilitate the location of key pieces of information. The data collected in this work was compiled between 1996 and 1998. The statistics reflect the situation on the ground as of July 1998. However, the historical information and the basic picture remain the same. iii ,~ The issue of settlements remains one of the most contentious issues complicating the Israeli-Palestinian search for peace. Many Israelis and most importantly the Israeli Government view settlements as part and parcel of their historic right to the land of Israel and the right of Jews to live anywhere in their homeland. Palestinians and the majority of the international community view settlements as illegal and as an ob­ stacle to peace. Jerusalem serves as the most dramatic example of the dash of Israeli and Palestinian aspirations in the Holy Land. Jerusa­ lem-area settlements are the most extensive, the most controversial and perhaps the most intractable part of the settlement question. At the most fundamental level, one should at least be aware of their his­ tory, their scope, their impact on the land, and their impact on the current negotiations. Competition for land, the skyline and supremacy in Jerusalem neither begins with the events of 1967 or those of 1948. Furthermore, stak­ ing out sovereignty in the city is not a strictly Zionist enterprise. Every ruler since Herod has attempted to make a mark on the city. Examples are found all over the city of attempts by European powers to establish sovereignty, usually in the form of religious structures, hospices and hospitals that were designed