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City Hall Triples Budget for Jerusalem Day 'Flag March' Through Muslim Quarter In the Media

Flag Parade could conflict with Ramadan; Ir Amim survey shows majority of Jewish public opposes parade going through Muslim Quarter.

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Riots Feared. Jerusalem Day to Coincide with First Evening of Ramadan In the Media

The date of the start of the Muslim month has not yet been set and this year it may coincide with Jerusalem Day, when right wing activists march through the Muslim Quarter. Ir Amim and Tag Meir seek to prevent Flag Parade from passing through the Muslim Quarter.

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Israeli Settler Group Takes Over Muslim Quarter Building in Jerusalem In the Media

Ir Amim: “The Muslim Quarter is a Palestinian area and will be so in any future reality. By means of settler organizations in the Old City, the government is heaping more and more obstacles in the path of a future resolution, disrupting the lives of the Muslim Quarter’s residents and causing harm to Jerusalem and to all of Israel’s citizens.”

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Broken Trust: State Involvement in Private Settlement in Batan al-Hawa, Silwan Reports

The report – a joint publication of Ir Amim and Peace Now – focuses on the rapid escalation of private settlement activity in the heart of Batan al-Hawa, a Palestinian community in Silwan, located just outside the Old City walls within clear sight of Al-Aqsa. Batan al-Hawa is now the site of the largest attempted settler takeover in East Jerusalem, representing not only the large-scale displacement of an entire community but also the complicity of the Israeli government in facilitating private settlement in the Historic Basin.

This activity began over a decade ago, but has dramatically accelerated in the past two years. By the end of 2015, the settlers had quadrupled the number of housing units in their possession, having taken over a total of some 27 units in six buildings. In addition, 12 eviction claims relating to 51 families – most initiated over the past year – are currently pending. One hundred families – roughly 600 Palestinians – are at risk of displacement, many of whom stand to become refugees for the second time, having lost their properties in West Jerusalem after 1948.

The settlement in Batan al-Hawa now being developed by Ateret Cohanim is an integral part of efforts by settler organizations and Israeli authorities to consolidate Jewish control of the Old City and the surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods, to create an irreversible reality in the Holy Basin around the Old City that deliberately subverts efforts to negotiate an agreed political resolution on Jerusalem.

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Living in Limbo In the Media

Feature piece showing how residents battle municipal neglect in East Jerusalem neighborhoods beyond the Separation Barrier; cites Ir Amim's major report "Displaced in their Own City."

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Netanyahu Must Call on Israeli Lawmakers to Maintain Calm on the Temple Mount In the Media

Haaretz editorial cites comprehensive reports by the International Crisis Group and Ir Amim showing a clear and direct connection between closing the Temple Mount to Muslim worshipers and the outbreak of violence.

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United in opposition to the separation barrier In the Media

Settlers and left wing activists both oppose Separation Barrier around Walajeh. Aviv Tatarsky, researcher for Ir Amim: “Israel doesn't allow the residents of Walaja to build as part of the political question of who owns this place."

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Jerusalem demolishes Palestinian homes beyond the wall for first time Articles/ Op-Eds

Israeli authorities destroy three homes in al-Walajeh, a village that was partially annexed to Jerusalem, yet has been totally neglected by the municipality.

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Palestinian Neighborhood, Abandoned by Jerusalem, Paves Its Own Road In the Media

Residents of Ras Khamis, located beyond the Separation Barrier, take matters into their own hands after years of neglect by the municipality.

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Report: Netanyahu Promised Jordan to Bar Politicians From Temple Mount, Limit Right-wing Activists' Visits In the Media

Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky analyzes the relationship between collective restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshippers to the Temple Mount and the deterioration of the security situation in Jerusalem. “Every time there are restrictions we have seen the violence spread,” Tatarsky says.

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Two Sides of the Same Village Articles/ Op-Eds

Ir Amim Executive Director: Jerusalem does not need more threats of closures and barriers but rather a policy of hope that recognizes the deep-seated connection of both peoples to the city and their right to lead lives of prosperity and dignity under any political constellation.

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Jerusalem Municipality Approved [for Deposit] New Jewish Settlement in the Heart of East Jerusalem Neighborhood In the Media

The Local Planning and Building Committee approved unanimously [for deposit] a plan for construction of 18 housing units for Jewish families in Jabel Mukaber. The Elad NGO, which works to increase the Jewish presence in East Jerusalem, is behind the plan. “We hope that Arabs and Jews will live there in peace,” a city council member said

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Israeli Agency OKs Right-wing NGO's Plans to Build Large Visitors' Center in East Jerusalem In the Media

National Building Council overturns decision of appeals subcommittee to downsize Kedem Compound slated for construction in Silwan by Elad settler group. Appeals against the Compound submitted by Ir Amim, Emek Shaveh and other groups were partially accepted in June 2015, but have now been overruled following pressure from the Ministry of Justice.

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CCTV cameras at Al-Aqsa will not lower tensions in Jerusalem Articles/ Op-Eds

Aviv Tatarsky: It is welcome news that the long-awaited cameras will finally be installed soon. The bad news is that they don’t even touch the root of the problem — restrictions on Muslim worshippers accessing Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.

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Rightist Group Boosting Efforts to Evict Arabs, Settle Jews in East Jerusalem In the Media

300 Palestinians at risk of eviction in Batan al-Hawa. Ir Amim said that settler organizations, “under the auspices of a discriminatory system, are dispossessing and uprooting the Palestinian community from its houses, and dispossessing Israel of any chance of a future diplomatic solution.”

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New Proposal to Divide Jerusalem Unites People Against It In the Media

Ir Amim said recent unilateral separation proposal was “detached from any understanding of the fabric of daily life in Jerusalem.” Without agreement from the Palestinian leadership, the group added, such a move would “lead to political, urban and humanitarian chaos.”

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Palestinian village 'will be like a prison' In the Media

Ir Amim’s Betty Herschman: "When it comes to national parks in East Jerusalem, there's nothing apolitical about them. This isn't about greening the city, this is about using the declaration of a space as a national park for strategic purposes."

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Netanyahu takes a shot at UK prime minister In the Media

Shlomi Eldar’s response to PM Netanyahu’s attack on UK PM David Cameron cites Ir Amim statistics on poverty in Jerusalem – 3.5 times higher among Arab families than Jewish ones

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Jerusalem: Present Home and Future Capital of Two Peoples Policy Papers

Against the backdrop of growing tensions in Jerusalem, the objective of this paper is to present an outline for how to de-escalate the violence and implement a policy for managing the city that is informed by hope rather than anxiety. The paper presents guidelines for action in the current situation, based on the following premises: Jerusalem is the present home and future capital of two peoples; a diplomatic agreement on the city is currently remote; unilateral steps play into the hands of those who oppose an agreed upon solution; in the current reality, policies must be adopted to improve the quality of life and personal security of all residents of the city. A response is also offered to recent proposals for unilateral separation of Palestinian neighborhoods from Jerusalem.

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Palestinian Villagers Tilled Their Land So Well, Israel Is Now Confiscating It From Them In the Media

Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky: “Today it’s clear to anyone who goes there that it’s on Palestinian territory... But they’re making the area Israeli by means of the national park and nobody says anything.”

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