1.1 About the Neighborhood the village core. Upon returning to their lands within the newly established municipal boundary, they found Beit Hanina Beit Hanina is situated along the Ramallah Road in themselves defined as “present-absentees.” Today, northern East Jerusalem. Its primary residential areas, most of Beit Hanina al-Balad is defined as Area B (i.e. Survey of Palestinian Neighborhoods in East Jerusalem located on either side of the Ramallah Road, border under Palestinian civil and Israeli military control), and Jerusalem North on Shuafat to the south, the municipal border and it is trapped on all sides by the Separation Barrier, along the Jerusalem-Modi’in Road to the West, the Atarot with the villages of Bir Nabala, al-Jadeira, and al-Jeeb. Industrial Zone and the defunct Qalandiya Airport From the 1980s onward, urban development of to the north, and the Palestinian town of ar-Ram as the Jerusalem part of Beit Hanina intensified, and well as the Israeli post-1967 neighborhoods of Neve the Ramallah Road became its new center. The Yaakov and Pisgat Zeev, to the east. The Separation neighborhood attracts inward migration of both Barrier is also an important factor delineating all but Palestinian citizens of Israel and Jerusalemite the southern boundary of Beit Hanina. Palestinians seeking to remain on the Israeli side of • Village lands formerly covered about 15,000 dunam, the Separation Barrier. Due to high demand, housing Ramallah Road Zone but after 1967 much of the area that was included prices in the neighborhood have skyrocketed, making within the Jerusalem municipal boundary, was the neighborhood too expensive for many Palestinians expropriated for the establishment of parts of the in the city. However, Beit Hanina, along with Shuafat, is Israeli neighborhoods of Neve Yaakov, Pisgat Zeev and still expected by Israeli planning authorities to provide Ramot. Beit Hanina al-Balad (the village core), remained the solution for much of the housing shortage for to the west (outside) of the municipal boundary at Palestinians in Jerusalem. Uniquely, there have been the time. Thus, when permanent Israeli residency several targeted construction projects (for engineers, was granted to East Jerusalemite Palestinians, many Palestinian Electric Company workers, and more) Beit Hanina residents did not receive residency status throughout Beit Hanina. because they were living, staying, or seeking refuge in H w y MAP OF ZONES 6 Facts 0 ( o l d Kafr ) Population 41,000 Aqab 43 wy 4 Area 5,237 dunam H H wy 45 Adjacent Areas 3,391 dunam 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 ( Central Zones Roads Hw 0 6 y Southern Zones West Jerusalem w H 1.1 Main Problems in and around Land Registration lives adjacent to the barrier, on the Israeli side, slated for cancellation, thus preserving the Bottom-Up Planning Beit Hanina Registration of most of the land in Beit Hanina a gate is opened upon coordination, in order to historical route of the road. Beit Hanina is an excellent example of a place in which alternative Beit Hanina is considered “in progress.” This status hinders allow him to farm his land beyond the barrier. grassroots plans have emerged based on local initiatives, cooperation The Jerusalem 2000 Outline Plan the approval of detail plans and the granting of The Unrecognized Neighborhood between residents, and organizational support from the community The Jerusalem 2000 Outline Plan (pending building permits, which are conditioned upon Settler Activity Part of the West-Bank village of Qalandiya was center. The plans aimed to enable construction and to legalize existing deposition) proposes a seemingly significant proof of land ownership. In the common case In 2012, the phenomenon of Israeli settlement in included within the municipal boundary of houses in areas that were previously zoned as open scenic areas. densification of Beit Hanina. However, only of multiple heirs, agreements must be reached the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem after 1967. This small neighborhood Plan # 6671 for the Hod at-Tabel sub-neighborhood (Wadi ad-Dam and a small part of the potential can be realized, among themselves, or verification of ownership Jerusalem spread beyond the neighborhoods is not contiguous with the residential areas al-Aqabeh), on 628 dunam in the northwest part of Beit Hanina, was as in neighboring Shuafat. In addition, the by neighbors and mukhtars must be obtained. around the Old City, when a family of 13 of Beit Hanina and it is trapped between authorized in January 2002. The plan proposes a unique mechanism outline plan allocates two expansion areas Furthermore, attempts by landowners who was forcefully evicted from its home in Beit the Atarot Industrial Zone and the defunct allowing the landowners whose land remains zoned as open scenic area, for Beit Hanina. The first is an already built-up live in Beit Hanina al-Balad to register their Hanina. In the same compound, after ongoing Qalandiya Airport, which was built by the to build one residential building on each plot, up to a certain volume. The area of about 160 dunam (of which 40 are de land can result in the declaration of the land harassment from settlers, two more Palestinian British. Approximately one quarter of the area exact placement of the house is not stipulated precisely in the plan, and facto part of Shuafat) in the southwestern al- as absentee property, which in turn leads families were evicted. According to newspaper is zoned as industrial, and most of it is un- is left to the discretion of the landowner, under certain restrictions. This Ashqariyah quarter. During the last decade, two to its registration as Israeli state land. The reports, the settlers are planning to submit a planned. Several small-scale detail plans were mechanism enables all landowners to realize their right to live on their land resident-initiated plans have been approved issue is further complicated by the many re- plan for dozens of housing units on site. The approved, allowing residential construction and and provides flexibility concerning the precise development of the area. for part of this expansion area, and even a parcelization plans that have been approved (or eviction of the Palestinian families was made hotels. De facto, the land serves for housing Plan # 9713 for the al-Ashqariyah area in the southwest part of the little beyond it, on a total area of nearly 100 are in progress) in the neighborhood over the possible after the court accepted proof of and agriculture. The Separation Barrier eats neighborhood, covering about 83 dunam, was authorized only recently dunam. In other words, a large part of the past 15 years. The uncertainty has led to many Jewish land ownership prior to 1948 (a legal into the western part of the neighborhood, (2012). The plan formalizes the status of this residential neighborhood, built expansion area was already in planning stages incidents of land theft using forged documents. option not available to Palestinians regarding leaving a number of houses on the Palestinian spontaneously over the years on land designated as open scenic area. even before the outline plan was approved Simultaneously, the municipality placed stricter their pre-1948 lost property). In addition, of side. One cluster of houses, in the eastern part Only part of this area was included in the expansion area proposed in the for deposition. The Beit Hanina-Shuafat requirements on proof of ownership, making late, settler organizations have tried to cancel of the neighborhood, was designated in the Jerusalem 2000 Outline Plan, even though planning had begun prior to the Community Center seeks to promote planning it even harder for residents to get building a legitimate transaction in which the Hebrew Jerusalem 2000 Outline Plan as an existing approval of the outline plan for deposition. Through collaboration between for the rest of the expansion area, including the permits. Recently, the municipality began to University sold some of its lands in Beit Hanina urban residential area, though the area is not the residents, a unique mechanism was created for allotting areas for establishment of a new cemetery (see: Road operate an experimental permits committee to the Palestinian organization Majlis al-Iskan, zoned as residential in approved plans. public use. Accordingly, landowners who owned vacant land allocated larger 20). The second expansion area, of about 600 out of the Beit-Hanina-Shuafat Community which operates as a de facto Housing Ministry areas than their neighbors and in exchange received higher building rights. dunam, is located in the mostly vacant area Center. In an effort to shorten the building for Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Dakhyat al-Bareed Likewise, the residents collectively purchased land to serve as open known as Tal al-Adasah, north of the al-Aqabeh application process, the committee verifies The neighborhood of Dakhyat al-Bareed public area. These two plans testify to the fact that sensitive planning, sub-neighborhood. In recent years, a general ownership for residents interested in legalizing The Disputed Territory (literally “the postal suburb”) is located in with full cooperation between residents and based on creative plan for the area has been promoted by local existing construction and/or building new Near the intersection of the Ramallah Road the northeastern part of Beit Hanina, east planning ideas, can yield positive results both in order to legalize landowners, supported by non-governmental buildings according to an approved plan.