15 August 1997

At a time when the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality has accelerated its attack on Palestinian Jerusalem residents by demolishing 10 homes in two weeks, the Municipality has orchestrated a campaign to force collection of the weighty arnona property tax from Palestinian shopkeepers in Occupied East Jerusalem in a further attempt to intimidate, harass and remove the Palestinian inhabitants of the city.

Officials in the municipality allege that an estimated $300 million are “owed” by East Jerusalem private and commercial interests. Over the past several weeks municipal inspectors, escorted by Israeli border guards, have conducted dozens of raids on shops in East Jerusalem to seize property in payment of this “debt”. In a precedent-setting move, the Israeli court has issued an order to seize the property of Ziyyad al Hammouri, head of the Arnona Follow-up Committee (a committee formed to protest the imposition of the property tax). Authorities estimate that he owes more than 200,000 Israeli shekels (around $60,000).

The Jerusalem municipality imposed the arnona property tax on Palestinian residents of Jerusalem shortly after occupying the city. Residents of Jerusalem have long considered this tax as an illegal levy on Jerusalem residents as they, the international community and the United States do not recognize the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem and consider this occupation as contrary to international law. Residents also consider this tax as both punitive and discriminatory. Palestinian Jerusalem residents comprise 30 percent of the city’s population but receive only 7 percent of municipal funds. Infrastructure in the city has not changed significantly since 1967.

In addition, this tax has been imposed on Palestinian Jerusalemites despite the fact that they are taxed without representation in the Israeli government or municipality, and that these residents voted in the Palestinian national elections.

Palestinian Jerusalem remains underdeveloped, with its inhabitants being slowly squeezed out by repeated Jerusalem ID confiscations, house demolitions, restrictive zoning, an economy devastated by population decline and the continued long-term blockade of the West Bank. The recent campaign on the part of Israeli Mayor Olmert to force the collection of this illegal tax reflects the continued attack on Jerusalem residents as a whole. The resistance of local shopkeepers to the property tax signals an attempt to preserve the remnants of Palestinian Jerusalem.

LAW condemns this ongoing aggression against the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem. Contact the following officials to demand an end to these oppressive and discriminatory policies: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu (972) (2) 566 4838, Israeli Mayor of Jerusalem Ehud Olmert (972) (2) 629 7997, and Minister of Foreign Affairs David Levy (972) (2) 530 3506. Electronic mail to: Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu: pm@pmo.gov.il, the Office of the Prime Minister: feedback@pmo.gov.il, the Israeli Government Press Office: gpo@pmo.gov.il, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: ask@israel-info.gov.il.

LAW - 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. LAW is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.