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CAABU Fact-file on Jerusalem

CAABU Fact-file on Jerusalem - April 2000

Land use and settlements

The settlements in and around Jerusalem have expanded rapidly before, and during the Oslo process. The Jewish settler population in East Jerusalem is now estimated to be in the region of 180,000

30% (66,500) of the settlers are in the Greater Jerusalem area (Ma’aleh Adumim, Givat Ze’ev, Betar Elite, Har Adar, Efrat and part of the Etzion Bloc). (Source More Settlements under Barak by Francoise Perreault The Other Front January/February 2000)

“Since 1967, 35% of the land in East Jerusalem has been expropriated for the construction of Jewish neighbourhoods and attendant facilities. Furthermore, 54% of East Jerusalem has been purposefully designated as security areas, "green areas", or Jewish residential zones all of which are intended to block Palestinians from building. Ultimately only 11 % of East Jerusalem is available for Palestinian housing, with 200,000 people expected to live on this 11%.” ( Source LAW - the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, 17 November 1999)

On 19 April 1999, an inter-ministerial committee on Jerusalem recommended that, in order to maintain a 70/30 percent Jewish majority in Jerusalem, Israel needs to build 116,000 new dwelling units in the city for Jews by 2020, an annual rate of 5,500, far higher than is currently the case.

“The Jewish population in the settlements beyond the Green Line grew in 1999 by 12.5%, the highest growth rate recorded in recent years, according to figures released by the Council for Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza”. Ha’aretz, 21 February 2000

Land Ownership in Western Jerusalem Pre-1948

	New City	Old City
Palestinian Owned	40%	99.375%
Jewish Owned	26.12%	0.625%
Christian Communities	13.86%	n/a	(4.05 dunums=1 acre) Total Area: 20,131 dunums
Government and Municipal	2.90%	n/a
Roads and Railways	17.12%	n/a	Source: Palestine Survey Maps and Taxation Records

Jerusalem Residency Rights -No of Palestinian ID cards confiscated

ID Card Confiscation: 1999 -(According to data released by the Israeli Interior Ministry)
	January	68
	February	86
	March	28
	April	27
	May	73
	June	55
	July	27
	August	12
	September	17
	October	6
	November	9
	December	3
	Total	411

Comparison with Previous Years
	1995	91
	1996	739
	1997	1067
	1998	788
	1999 (up to 17-10)	411
	Total	3096
(i.e. An estimated 12,384 Palestinians have been directly affected by the Israeli policy of ID card confiscation)

House Demolitions

Number of Houses Demolished in the Occupied Territories for building without permit, from 1987 till 1998 (figures provided by B’tselem)

Year	Occupied Territories (excl East Jerusalem)	East Jerusalem
1987	103	Unknown
1988	393	30
1989	347
1990	102
1991	227
1992	148	12
1993	63	48
1994	120	29
1995	43	25
1996	140	17
1997	233	16
1998	150	30

Sources: Human rights organisations, authorities, press

According to Amnesty International 284 houses in East Jerusalem were demolished in this period.

According to Ehud Olmert, the Mayor of Jerusalem, out of the 1,880 illegal constructions found in all of Jerusalem, 1,381 were in West Jerusalem. Out of the 141 demolition orders issued by the municipality only five were in West Jerusalem and the rest were in Occupied East Jerusalem.