More and more open areas in East Jerusalem are being designated as preservation or national parks, and this is clearly in order to prevent Palestinian urban development. Sari Kronish, Israeli planning rights organization Bimkom
OCCUPIED EAST JERUSALEM For decades, a Palestinian village on the southern tip of Jerusalem has lived on and cultivated the land. But a series of recent efforts by Israel is not only threatening their way of life but potentially displacing them from their homes.
On January 25, the Jerusalem District Planning Committee rejected the residents of Palestinian village al-Walajas plan to legalize their homes and further develop the community. Instead, the committee declared their land an ancient agricultural area in need of environmental conservation that should be transformed into a national park.
The notion of environmental integrity struck Amy Cohen, director of international relations and advocacy at Israeli non-profit Ir Amim, as contradictory.
The planning committee and the [Israel] Civil Administration within the West Bank [have] been promoting and advancing plans within the same area for Jewish settlers, Cohen said. It shows massive discrimination in how [Israel] treats Palestinian areas in order to suppress the residential development.
The committees decision paves the way for the lifting of the demolition freeze on 38 al-Walaja homes. On April 26, Israels Supreme Court will convene for a hearing on al-Walajas 2018 petition over its resident- initiated outline plan.
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