CONFLICT IN CITIES AND THE CONTESTED STATE Everyday life and the possibilities for transformation in Belfast, Jerusalem and other divided cities www.conflictincities.org JERUSALEM WEB REVIEW 25th Aug – 6th Oct 2009 1 Jerusalem Web Review 25 August -6 Oct 2009 Overview of articles: 1. Vice Premier: Israel should outlaw the Islamic Movement 2. Military procedures and mood in the Old City of Jerusalem reminiscent of 1967 3. 'Justice Delayed is Justice Denied' 4. What are the chances of a third Palestinian Intifada? 5. Time to re-engage with people power 6. In Jerusalem, some Arabs migrate to Jewish areas 7. Prior to a Settlement Freeze: the Race for Construction “Starts” is On! 8. Jerusalem Palestinians defining their own future 9. Tensions flare in East Jerusalem after clash on Old City plateau sacred to Muslims and Jews 10. East Jerusalem marred by Yom Kippur violence 11. Jerusalem tense after Al-Aqsa clashes 12. Settlers marketing East Jerusalem homes for 22 Jewish families 13. Jerusalem and Babylon / Secular public is just not interested 14. Israel freezes construction of Separation Barrier in Ma'ale Adumim area 15. Around 2000 settlers in outposts in Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem 16. Moroccan fund buys east Jerusalem land 17. Minister tells police: Boost Israeli presence in East Jerusalem 18. Voices from Jerusalem: Back to What School? 19. Jerusalem can only gain through cooperative neighborhood initiatives 20. Religious-Secular Divide, Tugging at Israel’s Heart 21. Inside Shuafat – Interview with Khader Dibs 22. Abusing Jerusalem to Assail Peace: the Case of the Shepherd's Hotel Additional Reports: i. Ir Amin ‘Shady Dealings in Silwan’ ii. Ir Amin – Israeli Settlements report in East Jerusalem (August 09) iii. Ir Amin - The Arab-Palestinian School System in East Jerusalem iv. FMEP – Moving beyond a Settlement Freeze 2 1. Vice Premier: Israel should outlaw the Islamic Movement Barak Ravid and Jack Khoury, Haaretz, 6/10/2009 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1119166.html The Islamic Movement should be outlawed and the head of its northern branch arrested for incitement, Vice Premier Silvan Shalom said on Tuesday, in the wake of recent violent clashes between Arab protesters and police at the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem. Shalom told Israel Radio that the Islamic Movement was provoking the masses into violence, adding that northern branch leader Sheikh Ra'ad Salah and his deputy Kamel Hatib should both be arrested. Shalom also blamed the Palestinian Authority for the recent flare ups, claiming it was trying to place East Jerusalem under its own jurisdiction. "We must be decisive and act with a firm hand, or they will identify our weakness and intensify their actions," said Shalom. Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and Police Commissioner David Cohen announced on Monday that they would "take steps" in the coming days against Salah, who has been prohibited from entering the Temple Mount area for several months and has been staying at a nearby residence while following developments Salah told Haaretz on Monday that the clashes in the Old City of Jerusalem would last as long as Israel's "occupation" of the city and Al-Aqsa Mosque continued. He said the Israeli government must understand that using force does not grant it rights to Al-Aqsa Mosque or anywhere else in East Jerusalem, and that the key to achieving calm in the area is an Israeli "withdrawal." "No one has rights to the Al-Aqsa Mosque other than the Muslims. The mosque compound is Muslim, Palestinian and Arab, and Israel has no rights to the mosque or East Jerusalem," he said. The Islamic Movement leader reiterated his call for Arabs within Israel's Green Line and in Jerusalem to protest beside the mount to "protect Al-Aqsa from the infiltration of extremist Jewish elements." Echoing Shalom's sentiment, National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau said on Monday that "Israel should stop paying the salaries of imams and mosque heads that incite against it." Landau urged the government to hold a special session dealing with ending PA activities in Jerusalem, as well as act toward banishing its instructions from the capital. "The incitement that encourages the stabbing of soldiers, the hurling of stones and disorderly conduct in general must be stopped," Landau said. 3 Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Eli Yishai, also relating to alleged PA involvement in recent Jerusalem clashes, said that "the State of Israel is the only authority in Jerusalem and no force can qualify that." "The anti-Jewish incitement coming from within Israel's borders and abroad cannot loosen the tie between the people of Israel and its capital and the need to secure and strengthen it," Yishai added. 2. Military procedures and mood in the Old City of Jerusalem reminiscent of 1967 PNN, 6/10/2009, http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7266 Jerusalem / PNN - A number of guards of Al Aqsa Mosque reported today that Israeli soldiers and police stood at the gates of the mosque and prevented them from entering today to conduct their business. After having their identity cards inspected the guards were only allowed to pass if on official work shifts. Speaking to the press today, a number of Al Aqsa guards said that the measures of the occupying Israeli forces are unprecedented. The doors are more controlled than ever, guards said in a statement. For the third consecutive day study at the schools within the walls of the Al Aqsa compound was disrupted because of the actions of Israeli forces.The occupying administration announced last night that the actions on the city would continue justifying the oppression under the pretext of maintaining security. Palestinians under the age of 50 are being prevented from entering the Old City of Jerusalem or Al Aqsa Mosque. The Israeli military presence is enhanced throughout the Old City, and around the Mosque and the Western Wall. Military and police patrols are on foot and horseback in the Old City and the vicinity, particularly Salah Addin Street where cars are being pulled over, and Bab Al Moud. Military checkpoints into the city are witnessing a slower inspection procedure than usual.In the same vein, fighting broke out this morning in several areas of the Old City and East Jerusalem, including Ras Al Amud, Wadi Joz and Mount of Olives. Students threw empty bottles and stones at Israeli soldiers who fired stun grenades, incendiary bombs and gas canisters. Commercial traffic and shops are also suffering as customers cannot reach them. Most shop owners have opted to shut down for the time being due to poor conditions.The military procedures and mood in the city are reminiscent of 1967, PNN’s correspondent in the Old City reports. 3. 'Justice Delayed is Justice Denied' Joharah Baker for MIFTAH, 05/10/ 2009 http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=20686&CategoryID=3 This time, Palestinians were sure they had an ace in the hole. For the first time in a very long time, a credible, balanced and efficient international investigation has been conducted and its findings released on Israel's actions against the Palestinians. The UN Fact-Finding Mission, lead by Justice Richard Goldstone into Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip last winter in which nearly 1,500 Palestinians were killed was pretty much what the Palestinians have always been hoping for – a respected and credible international voice for those Palestinians without one, a voice that has witnessed the injustice and refused to remain silent. Finally, Goldstone's mission was representative of a 4 voice with the diplomatic clout to put words into actions and maybe, just maybe force Israel to face the crimes it has committed. Yes, Palestinians everywhere were looking forward to the October 2 vote in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which would, if it won a majority, effectively refer the findings of the report to the UN Security Council for further action and possibly put those responsible for war crimes before an international criminal court. Hence, when news broke that voting on the report had been delayed to the Council's March session - a long five months from now - jaws dropped to the floor in dismay. Since then there has been a flurry of press conferences, tongue-twisted justifications and blundering, babbling politicians trying to defend, rationalize or deny the indefensible – that the PLO had been party to the decision to postpone the voting. Four days later, the game is still on. After the initial shock of the news resided, Palestinians were up in arms, pointing icy fingers at the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank and in Geneva, accusing them of the worst of vices – betraying their own people. From that leadership came contradictory statements meant as damage control, some defending the decision as a means of "ensuring a consensus" on the vote, others speaking their mind, saying the deferral was a mistake and still others, namely Geneva's UN Ambassador Ibrahim Khreisheh, charging on October 5 that the postponement was actually in the Palestinians' interest since the report also charged Hamas with war crimes for firing rockets into Israel, something he said the leadership would work to drop. As for President Mahmoud Abbas, who, according to some media reports, was paid a visit by the US Consul General who put tremendous pressure on him to drop the Palestinians' request for Goldstone's report to go to a vote, is now saying it was the Arabs who asked for the postponement. "We are only observers in the UN, we cannot make such a decision," Abbas said in a press conference. Abbas also formed an "investigation committee" to look into the reasons behind the postponement.