Watch Recording of Webinar – ‘Institutionalized Discrimination of Palestinians in East Jerusalem’ (24 February 2021)

Palestinians living in East Jerusalem do not enjoy the same provision of municipal services ranging from schools, road infrastructure, to garbage collection as their counterparts in West Jerusalem.  Following the start of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, it has implemented a system of zoning and planning which makes it almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain planning permission for home construction. Therefore, thousands of Palestinian homes have been demolished with families displaced, and currently tens of thousands of Palestinian families live in the stressful situation having received a demolition order from the Jerusalem Municipality. Other Palestinian families have been evicted from their home to be replaced by religious settlers who seek to take over more areas within East Jerusalem.  The dire situation in East Jerusalem has left more than 70% of Palestinian families living under the poverty line. They are a traumatized population with little prospect for improvement any time soon.

At this event Meir Margalit shared insights from his book based on what he learned when he served on the Jerusalem Municipality under Mayor Nir Barakat. Meir discussed how the city subjugated the rights of Palestinians and used language and policies that hide the reality that it has destroyed the very essence of Jerusalem being the inclusive home for Muslims, Christians, and Jews – people representing the three monotheistic faiths.

Munir Nuseibah spoke about the support that is given to Palestinians who are threatened with demolitions, displacement and forced eviction both within Jerusalem’s Old City and for the other Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem, all of which face discriminatory policies. These Palestinians are not the responsibility of the Palestine Authority nor are they full citizens of the Israeli state. They are residents of Jerusalem with limited rights and with most being from families that have lived in Jerusalem for generations.

Dr Meir Margalit is the author of City of Jerusalem: the Israeli Occupation and Municipal Subjugation of Palestinian Jerusalemites. He heads the Center for Advancement of Peace Initiatives (CAPI) and was the Co-Founder of ICAHD.

Dr Munir Nuseibah is a human rights lawyer and academic at Al Quds University, Jerusalem. He heads the Community Action Centre in Jerusalem’s Old City and he was instrumental in the establishment of the Al Quds Human Rights Clinic. Read an interview given by Munir to ICAHD UK here.