This past year East Jerusalem has been on everyone’s agenda, making headlines in Israel and abroad. Unfortunately, despite all this attention, the harsh reality of everyday life of 300,000 Palestinian Jerusalemites remains unknown, ignored by both the authorities and the public.
Ahead of Jerusalem Day marked on 12 May 2010, ACRI published a new report titled “Human Rights in East Jerusalem: Facts and Figures 2010”. Presented to policy makers, Knesset members, Jerusalem Municipality officials and the general public, the report provides up-to-date facts and figures about human rights violation in East Jerusalem. ACRI also launched a corresponding Flash campaign this year to coincide with Jerusalem Day.
Among the data published in the report:
– Poverty: 95,000 children below the poverty line
– Education: Less than 50% of schoolchildren attend public schools; 1,000 classrooms are missing; 50% dropout rates
– Welfare: Only 3 Social Service Stations operate in East Jerusalem in comparison to 20 in the West
– Home Demolitions: 80 homes were demolished in 2009, leaving 300 people without a roof over their heads
– Planning and Building: Existing zoning plans for East Jerusalem are outdated and irrelevant; the Interior Minister is intentionally delaying the outline plan ‘Jerusalem 2000’
– Residency Status: Interior Ministry has escalated the revoking of residency status from Palestinian Jerusalemites
– Sewage: Shortage of 50 km of drainage pipes; regular sewage overflow creates environmental hazards
– Sanitation: Hundreds of streets don’t receive garbage collection services; suitable dumpsters lack across East Jerusalem
– Postal Services: 8 post offices operate in East Jerusalem compared with 42 in West Jerusalem
– Civil Society: Pressure and harassment of community leaders and activists; Palestinian NGOs are shut down for undisclosed security reasons
– Separation Barrier and Checkpoints: Jerusalem residents suffer long waiting periods at checkpoints, in violation of commitments made by the State to the High Court of Justice.
For further details and media inquiries: Ronit Sela, ronits@acri.org.il
