Bad policies in east Jerusalem
Last edited Mon Oct 13, 2014, 07:48 PM - Edit history (1)
Earlier this month I was walking down the streets of the Arab neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem, where settlers had entered seven buildings just a few days earlier. The unpaved roads and uncollected garbage were a clear indication that I was standing east of the Green Line. Despite Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967, the Arab neighborhoods there are still plagued by poor infrastructure and general neglect. They are definitely not spots one would consider moving into for quality of life. Due to the entry of the settlers, the streets of Silwan were full of police officers and private security guards, sponsored by Israel’s Ministry of Housing and Construction.
On the same day, after learning about the final approval of a plan for 2,610 housing units in Givat Hamatos, Peace Now exposed to the Israeli public the plan for the construction at the southern municipal border of Jerusalem.
Peace Now’s Settlement Watch Department reports on such developments on a regular basis. It does so in order to stimulate government transparency and a democratic public debate on the issue of settlements. Under Prime Minister Netanyahu, unfortunately, such reports have been rather frequent due to his policy of settlement expansion.
After his meeting with US President Barack Obama, later that evening, Netanyahu slammed Peace Now for reporting on the recent developments, while attempting to divert the criticism on Silwan and Givat Hamatos. Netanyahu even accused the movement of “lack of national responsibility,” as if Peace Now has any control over settlement plans or their timing. Inside Israel, Netanyahu’s statement partially succeeded in diverting criticism away from him and toward Peace Now. The usual suspects from the Israeli right joined the attack and even recycled their call for the promotion of the “NGO bill,” which aims to impose heavy taxes on peace and human rights non-profits.
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Bad-policies-in-east-Jerusalem-378802
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