There are things other than Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem

Only those who examine closely the brutal Israeli plans to besiege the Arab population in Jerusalem, make their life difficult, and push them by every demonic means to leave, know how Palestinian Jerusalemites really suffer. Despite all of this, though, they resist with all their might, but they need support to ignite their fire, albeit with the little that we possess.

According to Israeli sources, only 7 per cent of Palestinians applying for construction permits for flats in Jerusalem were granted them over the past few years, even though 40 per cent of the city’s population are Palestinians. These figures were published in Haaretz newspaper on Wednesday. They highlight the ugly face of the Israeli occupation: over the past year, 158 construction permits were granted in East Jerusalem, a third of which were in Beit Hanina, and only 1,270 residential permits were granted in the whole of Jerusalem. In 2014, 188 construction permits were granted in East Jerusalem, compared to the 3,238 permits granted in the whole city. In the past five years, 11,603 construction permits for flats were granted in all of Jerusalem, only 878 of which were issued to those in Palestinian neighbourhoods. Until 2010, 400 construction permits were issued every year in East Jerusalem. As such, most of the homes in East Jerusalem were built without permits because there are no construction plans for those neighbourhoods and the indigenous Palestinian people of the city cannot obtain permits; as the population increases they are forced to build, against Israeli law.

In order to understand the “illegal” construction problem, we must compare what is happening in West Jerusalem with what is happening in East Jerusalem. In the Jewish neighbourhoods of West Jerusalem, behind what is called the Green (1949 Armistice) Line, most construction is initiated by the Israeli government by what is known as the Israeli Housing Ministry and the Land Authority. These two parties make plans and budgets to expand the Judaisation of the area and infrastructure as well as present tenders. The residential units are built by contractors and are marketed under the supervision of the Israeli government. Meanwhile, in East Jerusalem, all construction is private construction and usually consists of a small number of residential units built on privately-owned land. In most cases, residents of East Jerusalem cannot obtain housing loans for their homes due to the difficult requirements set by Israeli law regarding the registration of land in the Land Registry Deed. In order to build a house in accordance with Israeli law, Palestinians must pay very high taxes and expenses. On the Western side of the city, these costs are divided between the state, contractor and buyer, who can also receive a housing loan.

Sami Rasheed, a lawyer specialising in planning and construction in East Jerusalem said, “Most people apply for permits but they are not granted because the fees are prohibitive. As for the Jewish population, either the state or the contractors pay the fees, which eases the situation for buyers, while the Arabs have to pay their own way.”

Wealthy Arabs, especially Palestinians, can do a lot to stop the Judaisation of the city and help the Arab population in Jerusalem to remain a thorn in the side of the occupation. There are other things in Jerusalem, not just Al-Aqsa Mosque; there are people living through a fierce battle with a savage enemy. They need to feel that someone sympathises with them.

Translated from Al Resalah, 10 December, 2015

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.