BICOM

Key Points

• Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat today agreed to pause plans for the development of the ‘Kings Garden’ (El Bustan) locale of East Jerusalem, which would involve 22 house demolitions, following an intervention from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu has asked for a delay to allow further consultation with the residents due to the sensitivities involved.
• At a press conference today, Mayor Barkat spoke of the need for the Municipality to take responsibility for a situation that had not been handled adequately by the Israeli government and Jerusalem municipality in the past. Lack of planning in East Jerusalem over many years has led to a situation in which many Arab buildings have been built without permits. The Mayor has proposed plans to change this unacceptable status quo by bringing order and planning to all parts of Jerusalem. This includes proposing the unusual step of retrospectively legalising many Arab residential buildings.
• The plan announced today by the Mayor is to develop the ‘King’s Garden’ area (also known as ‘El Bustan’) in East Jerusalem. The purpose of the plan is to develop the area as a major tourist site and to improve the poor living conditions for the residents. 88 illegal buildings have been built by Arab residents in the area, which is of important archaeological importance, and which is planned as an open space. The Municipality has been in negotiations with residents over the plans for the past year.
• The plan attempts to resolve the problems in the area by legalising the majority of the buildings and providing new housing and communal facilities. New housing will be zoned for the residents of 22 buildings that will be demolished, as part of a plan to develop the area.

What has been announced today?

• Today the Prime Minister’s office announced that he has asked Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to allow more time to reach an understanding with residents of Silwan regarding the Gan Hamelach (King’s Garden) project. The Mayor has agreed.
• The Mayor’s plans, announced today, are to restore the historic and archaeologically significant ‘King’s Garden area’ south of the Old City, and improve the currently poor infrastructure and living conditions for the residents of the area.
• The proposals include a plan to legalise most of the illegal buildings in the area. Twenty two buildings are planned to be demolished as part of the plan. The municipality has offered to zone new housing within the area for these residents. They are not offering to compensate the residents of the buildings that are planned for demolition. However the municipality is in discussion with international donors and philanthropic organisations who may be willing to assist the residents to relocate to new housing.
• The plan includes new facilities and infrastructure to greatly improve the living conditions in the area, which are currently poor. Under the plans, there will be new roads and street lighting. A new building will be built by the municipality for the local residents, including a community school, kindergarten, and leisure facilities.
• Municipal planners have been in closed door negotiations with the residents for the past year over the proposals. Jerusalem officials claim that residents are privately positive about the new plan, but are under political pressure not to acknowledge this publicly.

What is the background to this issue?

• The King’s Garden is adjacent to Silwan, the site – according to archaeologists – of the original ‘City of David’. This was the original capital of the first united Jewish commonwealth, 3,000 years ago. The ‘King’s Garden’ is a biblical name referring to an extension of the ‘City of David’.
• The area was an open green space until Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967. After sewage pipes were laid in the area, 88 residential buildings were built without permits.
• Since 1967, it has been generally more difficult for Arab residents in the East of the city to gain the permits to build legally, leading to large-scale illegal construction in Silwan.
• The Mayor has acknowledged that the Israeli governments and Jerusalem Municipality in the past had not always done all they could with regard to planning in East Jerusalem. He argues that he is trying to change the unacceptable status quo, by bringing order and planning to East Jerusalem, for the benefit of the residents, and international visitors. There is a consensus among Arab and Jewish residents of the city that the current situation is not to the benefit of anybody.
• The Mayor has proposed a master plan for the entire city which includes 13,500 housing units for Arab neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem. However, this plan is currently being held up by the Interior Ministry.
• Arab residents of East Jerusalem have full voting rights in Jerusalem municipal elections, but routinely boycott the elections as a political protest. This has led to their lack of representation in the municipality.

What will happen next?

• The Mayor has agreed to the request of the Prime Minister to continue dialogue with the residents to find an agreed solution to the issue, and talks will continue. The plan in general will now be open to public and international scrutiny, and will be subject to approval through the usual planning stages, before any implementation takes place. The Mayor emphasised the desire to pursue the process with full transparency.
• Both the Mayor and the Prime Minister expressed concern that the announcement of the new plans will be used politically as an opportunity to inflame the delicate situation in Jerusalem.

 

Statistics on building construction and demolition in East and West Jerusalem

 

Further Reading

• BICOM Briefing – 20/1/2010: Jerusalem issues raised by BBC Panorama
• BICOM FAQ’s including sections on the history and significance of Jerusalem for Jews, Christians and Muslims.