Wake Up Palestine – House Demolitions in Jerusalem
Only 13 percent of lands in East Jerusalem is zoned for Palestinian construction in an already heavily urbanized area.
Jerusalem24 – In violation of the corpus separatum status resolved under United Nations General Assembly resolution 181(II), Israel gradually tightened its grip around the city.
Israeli annexed the western side of Jerusalem 1949, and took steps to extend its territorial sovereignty over its eastern side, notably through the Basic Law on Jerusalem and the application of Israeli domestic law – acts amounting to an unlawful annexation of Palestinian territory.
Israeli planning and zoning laws prevent Palestinian urban development through elaborate legal arrangements including lengthy, costly and complex building permit procedures. Several building prohibitions based on land designations as ‘green areas,’ or ‘national parks’ also limit possible Palestinian construction.
With all the different regulations, only 13 percent of lands in East Jerusalem is zoned for Palestinian construction in an already heavily urbanized area.
In this episode of Wake Up Palestine, Mohammad Hamayel speaks with Bodour Hassan, the advocacy officer at the Jerusalem Legal Aid Center. They discuss the conundrum of Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes and properties in Jerusalem.