Jerusalem Day: A Snapshot of Arab East
Jerusalem
18 May 2012
By Stephen Lendman
In May 1948, Israel's independence was Palestine's
Nakba. In June 1967, Jerusalem Day for Jews was Nakba
2.0 for Palestinians.
In 1948, Israelis stole 78% of historic Palestine. In
1967, they took the rest. In the process, they
deprived Palestinians of their historic capital even
though the UN declared Jerusalem an international
city.
Israel transformed Jerusalem from a multi-cultural,
multi-religious metropolis into a predominantly Jewish
one. On July 30, 1980, the Knesset introduced the
Jerusalem Law. It annexed the city as Israel's unified
capital.
On March 1, 1980, Security Council Resolution 465
declared that:
"all measures taken by Israel to change the physical
character, demographic composition, institutional
structure or status of the Palestinian and other Arab
territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem,
or any part thereof, have no legal validity and that
Israel's policy and practices of settling parts of its
population and new immigrants in those territories
constitute a flagrant (Fourth Geneva) violation....and
also constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a
comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle
East."
On July 9, 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
ruled that "Israeli settlements in the Occupied
Territory, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and
an obstacle to peace and to economic and social
development (and) have been established in breach of
international law."
Israel spurns international law and UN resolutions
unfavorable to its interests with impunity. As a
result, Palestinians have suffered grievously for
decades.
A Snapshot of Arab East Jerusalem
Palestinians numbering 360,882 comprise 38% of
Jerusalem's population. Since 1967, residency rights
for over 14,000 Palestinians were lawlessly revoked.
Palestinian Jerusalem district poverty approaches 80%.
For children, it's 84%.
Help for those in need is seriously deficient.
Thousands of children are at risk. Overall conditions
are deplorable. Education is harmed by a shortage of
around 1,000 classrooms.
Israel lets Palestinians build on only 17% of their
land. Since 1967, about one-third of East Jerusalem
was expropriated for exclusive Jewish development.
Israel wants the entire city Judaized. Palestinians
are being systematically forced out.
A combination of residency rights, permit authority,
the Separation Wall, checkpoints, Jews only roads, and
other restrictions, effectively isolate East Jerusalem
from the rest of the West Bank.
Around 90,000 East Jerusalemites with blue Israeli
identity cards lack access to most of the city. At
issue are jobs, education, medical care, other vital
services, and ability to visit family members.
In May, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)
published a report titled "Policies of Neglect in East
Jerusalem: The Policies that created 78% Poverty Rates
and a Frail Job Market."
Annually, the Israeli National Insurance Institute
publishes statistical data on the city. Its latest
report reflects conditions explained above.
For Palestinians, they're dire. Annually they
deteriorate. Israel systematically denies them
fundamental essentials required under international
law.
Deplorable conditions exist. Palestinians endure
intolerable levels of poverty, unemployment,
underemployment, and ability to access essential
services. Those with jobs are cheated. Many get
minimum or sub-minimum wages with no benefits.
"The gravity of the situation....is the product, first
and foremost, of Israeli policy making."
Official policy debilitated Arab conditions. Before
occupation, East Jerusalem thrived as the center of
Palestinian urban life. It was "second to none"
politically, economically, culturally, and
religiously.
Thereafter, conditions deteriorated. Yet its own
statute obligations and international law require
Israel "to meticulously ensure the rights of East
Jerusalem residents, and to seek unique solutions
particular to their political situation. But over the
past 45 years, both municipal and state authorities
have instead conducted a policy of neglect and
violation of the basic rights of the residents."
In recent years, political, economic and social
conditions experienced "a precipitous decline. The
cumulative effects of annexation, neglect, rights
violations, and the completion of the Separation
Barrier have led to an unprecedented deterioration in
the conditions of Palestinian East Jerusalemites."
Key factors include:
(1) Separation Wall, checkpoints, permit authority,
and other racist barriers enforce isolation from the
West Bank. All aspects of life are harmed. Israel
willfully enforces harshness to encourage and/or force
Palestinians to leave.
(2) Poor job prospects increased poverty. They also
reduce development options. Since 1999, over 5,000
Palestinian businesses closed or got eviction notices.
Employment opportunities went with them.
(3) A chronic classroom shortage harms education and
professional training prospects. As a result, many
Palestinian youths leave the city. Some go to the West
Bank. Others move abroad. Many are among Palestine's
best and brightest.
(4) Job and professional prospects especially harm
women. As a result, only 15% of the female population
have gainful employment. Most are underpaid in
part-time jobs. Many are menial.
(5) West Jerusalem's job opportunities lure qualified
East Jerusalemites able to get there. However, many
Jewish business owners won't hire Arabs. At issue are
racist policies, social tensions, and political
considerations.
Moreover, public transportation to and from work
represents a major obstacle. East Jerusalem's system
is separate and distinct from Israel's in the city's
West. As a result, many qualified Palestinians won't
endure unusually long travel times and greater
expense.
(6) Residency revocations and temporary status
provisions created added intolerable burdens. The
Knesset's Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law froze
family reunification procedures.
Palestinians married to Israelis are affected. Without
rarely issued permits, either they live apart or
together under occupation. Doing so forfeits basic
rights. For some it's a sacrifice too great to bare.
As a result, family life is grievously harmed.
A Final Comment
Israeli policies bare direct responsibility for
deplorable East Jerusalem conditions, including "the
isolation of its labor market, the weakening of its
Palestinian population, and the constant violation of
its residents' rights."
"As long as Israel retains control over East
Jerusalem, the government and the municipal
authorities have a responsibility to do all in their
power to bring about a significant improvement in East
Jerusalem's economy and employment situation."
Israel's spurns its obligations with impunity.
Palestinians suffer. Conditions grow worse, not
better. Israel's long-term grand plan involves total
Jerusalem Judaization as its exclusive capital.
Arab life is harsh and intolerable to encourage
emigration. Others are forced out. Palestinian homes
and other property are demolished to make way for
exclusive Jewish development.
Palestinians have no recourse but to endure as best
they can or leave. With no rights, bargaining power,
or Fatah government support, they're on their own to
survive.
ACRI concludes saying:
"Unless Israeli authorities decide to invest the
required effort and monetary resources in order to
implement all necessary measures in order to safeguard
the rights of the residents, taking into account East
Jerusalem's unique circumstances as described above,
the cycle of poverty in East Jerusalem will only
continue to widen."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached
at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book is
titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War" http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit
his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on
the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive
Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and
Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are
archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour.
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