JERUSALEM UNDER ATTACK AS WORLD FOCUSES ON HEBRON

19 October 1996

As the international community concentrates on the floundering Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on Hebron, the Jerusalem municipality has recently announced a new series of measures to confiscate land, destroy homes and otherwise change the demographic balance of Arab Jerusalem.

Land Confiscation: Israeli Jerusalem mayor Ehud Omert stated on 17 October that he would go ahead with plans to confiscate 300 dunums (75 acres) in the Arab neighborhood of Shu'fat in northern Jerusalem, to construct by-pass road number 21. This road would be constructed for the Jewish settlement of Tel Shu'fat, built on Shu'fat's lands to the west.

House Demolition: The Israeli Jerusalem Municipality, on 17 October, issued 13 new house demolition notices for the Arab neighborhood of Issawiya in northern Jerusalem, 3 demolition notices in Ras el Ahmoud in eastern Jerusalem, and five notices in Shu'fat and Beit Hanina to Jerusalem's north. On the same day, Israeli Jerusalem mayor Ehud Olmert announced that the Jerusalem municipality will continue to destroy Arab homes in Jerusalem.

House Evictions: Families received eviction notices issued by Infrastructure Minister Ariel Sharon from four homes in the downtown East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. These four homes were purchased through the settler land acquisition companies of Elad and Aterot Cohanim (known for fraudulently obtaining Arab-owned land in Jerusalem and the West Bank). On 18 October, the Knesset Finance Committee granted 3.2 million shekels to renovate these buildings.

Moslem Holy Sites: The Israeli High Court recently issued a decision which gives the Israeli Jerusalem municipality and the Israeli government increased power to control the Islamic holy places in Jerusalem's Old City, including increasing the number of soldiers and police already stationed there.

LAWE - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment points out that after the demonstration of Palestinian frustration and anger so evident in the violent uprising at the end of September, further attacks on Jerusalem are both illegal and ill-advised. Any changes in the character and status of Jerusalem violate UN resolutions 242 and 338, and also are contrary to the Oslo process, which guarantees the preservation of the status quo in Jerusalem and the West Bank. The lack of "good faith" on the part of the Israeli government was evident before, particularly in the opening of the now infamous Western Wall Tunnel, and is reflected again by these recent further aggressive actions. These policies threaten future violence in this area.

LAWE calls on the international community to pressure Israel to respect both international law and the bi-lateral treaties it has signed, and for the United Nations to re-affirm its opposition to the occupation of Jerusalem and the changes currently taking place there.

LAWE - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAWE is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.