Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat likes to present himself to a Western audience as the head of an open, pluralistic city, a place at ease with its ethnic and religious diversity, despite complex “security” challenges. The reality is somewhat different. As reported in Haaretz (with thanks to Ofer Neiman for translation), while speaking recently with Likud party members, Barkat boasted of inflicting collective punishment on Palestinian neighbourhoods of Occupied East Jerusalem. According to the newspaper: [Barkat] took pride…in the cooperation which he had initiated between the municipality, the police and Shabak [Shin Bet], to punish Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem or their relatives who are suspected of terror acts or riots, by using the municipality’s enforcement mechanisms against them.     … Continue reading Jerusalem mayor boasts of collective punishment of city’s Palestinians