EU report warns of the changing demographics in Jerusalem

An internal report by European Union diplomats stationed in Jerusalem and Ramallah warned of the changing status quo in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and violations of the Palestinians’ rights in East Jerusalem; Israel’s Haaretz newspaper revealed today.

The report, which dates back to March 18, warns of local, regional and international reactions to changing the status quo or allocating separate times for each religion to access the mosque’s courtyards, similar to what happened at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. It warned this could hinder the peace process.

The Haaretz correspondent for the Occupied Territories; Amira Hass said the report described Israel’s policies in Jerusalem which aimed to illegally annex East Jerusalem by constructing settlements, roads, parks and tourist sites in order to expand Jerusalem deep into, and separate it from, the West Bank.

According to the report, since peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians resumed in July 2013, Israel has increased settlement construction in Jerusalem in an unprecedented manner.

The report indicated that following settlement construction only 13 per cent of East Jerusalem would remain for the housing needs of Palestinians. It also noted that 33 per cent of Palestinians’ homes in East Jerusalem are built without Israeli permits due to the difficulties they face in obtaining such permissions. This means some 93,000 Palestinians face the threat of displacement due to the demolition of their homes.

The report said that in 2013 Israel demolished 98 houses in East Jerusalem; the same number of houses that were demolished in the past three years which led to the displacement of 298 people, including 153 children.

It recommends empowering Palestinians and saving the status of Jerusalem as the capital of two states; to increase supervision over the Haram Al-Sharif and Silwan and respond to the uprooting of Bedouin areas E and to demand Israel to allow European citizens and diplomats to move freely between Israel and the West Bank.

The report recommends imposing restrictions on the entry of settlers involved in violence in to Europe.