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Analysis

BICOM Briefing: Shepherd Hotel construction

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Key Points

  • According to the Jerusalem municipality, news reports suggesting a new announcement of settlement construction in East Jerusalem – whilst Prime Minister Netanyahu is in Washington – are misleading.
  • The development in question, in the Shepherd Hotel in Sheikh Jarrah, whilst highly controversial, is not new. It was approved by the local planning committee in July 2009. The bureaucratic process which allows the development to begin was completed on 15March 2010, but without any new political decision.
  • In a separate development, it is reported today that all district planning meetings in the Interior Ministry which deal with new construction in Jerusalem have been put on hold.

Latest Developments

  • It has been reported in the media today that Israel has announced a new housing plan in the Arab neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, just as Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to smooth over relations with the United States in Washington. Relations were strained earlier this month by the news that 1,600 new homes are to be built in another Jewish neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, which was announced during Vice President Biden’s visit to the region.
  • According to the Jerusalem Municipality, there is in fact no new development. The Sheikh Jarrah project in question was approved in July 2009. At that time it attracted widespread publicity and criticism from US and UK officials.
  • The reports refer to the Shepherd Hotel in Sheikh Jarrah, an Arab neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, where private Jewish developers are planning to build 20 apartments.
  • Since receiving approval last July, the developers have been proceeding through bureaucratic processes and finally paid the fees for the approval on 15 March 2010. This completed the process allowing the development to proceed, but did not involve any new political decision at either municipal or national level.
  • In a separate development, it is reported today that all district planning meetings in the Interior Ministry which deal with new construction in Jerusalem have been put on hold.


Background

  • Sheikh Jarrah is an Arab neighbourhood located at the foothills of Mount Scopus, northeast of the Old City. According to tradition, Shimon HaTzadik, a prominent Talmudic figure and his pupils, are buried in a cave in the area. For centuries, the site has been frequented by Jewish pilgrims.
  • While this site was owned by Arabs for many years, in 1876 the cave and the nearby field were purchased by Jews. However, Jewish families were forced to leave after the area came under Jordanian rule in the 1949 Armistice Agreement. The Jordanian authorities settled Arab families in their houses.
  • Right-wing groups, often backed by American donations, have been making concerted efforts to establish Jewish homes in Sheikh Jarrah and other Arab neighbourhoods. Former Jewish owners of properties in the neighbourhood, encouraged by these organisations, have been seeking to reclaim their ownership of houses there. In seven cases, Israeli courts acknowledged Jewish legal ownership of the houses and allowed Jews to reclaim the homes, evicting the Arab residents. Dozens of other cases are pending court rulings.
  • The Shepherd Hotel is a historic building in Sheikh Jarrah which is uninhabited. It was bought by an American Jewish philanthropist in 1985. The developers received permission from the Local Planning Committee of the Jerusalem Municipality to develop the site and build 20 apartments in July 2009. The decision was condemned by US and UK officials.
  • According to Israeli law, the whole of Jerusalem is a single municipal area. There is no religious or ethnic restriction on where individuals can build and buy homes. Arabs and Jews are, according to the law, equally free to build and buy homes anywhere in the city.