East  Jerusalem  –  By  the  Numbers  2014  

Population  East  Jerusalem  residents  make  up  slightly  more  than  1/3  of  the  city’s  population.  According  to  the  Central  Bureau  of  Statistics,  of  the  804,400  residents  in  the  city  -­‐  281,100  are  Muslim  (35%)  and  14,700  are  Christian  (approximately  2%).i  

Poverty  &  Welfare  75.3%  of  East  Jerusalem  residents,  and  82.2%  of  East  Jerusalem  children,  live  below  the  poverty  line.ii  7,514  Palestinian  children,  representing  53%  of  the  children  under  the  auspices  of  municipal  welfare  services,  are  defined  as  children  at  risk.iii  

While  there  are  18  welfare  offices  operating  in  Jerusalem’s  western  neighborhoods,  there  are  only  5  offices  in  East  Jerusalem.  Social  workers  in  West  Jerusalem  handle  an  average  of  90  cases  per  person,  compared  with  120  cases  per  social  worker  in  East  Jerusalem.iv  According  to  the  Minister  of  Welfare  and  Social  Services,  the  ministry  had  attempted  to  add  a  further  140  welfare  officers  in  East  Jerusalem,  but  the  Civil  Service  Commission  has  so  far  prevented  the  implementation  of  this  policy.v  

Education  Only  53%  of  Palestinian  students  attend  official  public  schools.  A  shortage  of  over  2,000  classrooms  in  the  local  school  system,  and  many  students  are  forced  to  crowd  into  housing  apartments  that  are  converted  into  schools.  Despite  the  official  commitments  given  to  the  High  Court  of  Justice  to  narrow  this  gap  before  2016,  only  a  few  dozen  new  classrooms  are  constructed  each  year.vi    

According  to  a  government  decision,  free  compulsory  education  is  supposed  to  apply  to  all  Israeli  children  over  the  age  of  3,  yet  only  6%  of  East  Jerusalem  children  between  the  ages  of  3  and  4  attend  public  kindergartens  due  to  a  shortage  of  approximately  400  kindergarten  classrooms.vii  36%  of  students  in  East  Jerusalem  do  not  complete  12  years  of  schooling.viii  

Those  high  school  students  who  do  complete  their  studies,  complete  Palestinian  matriculation  examinations,  and  so  find  it  extremely  difficult  to  gain  admission  to  Israeli  universities.  Students  who  attend  Palestinian  universities,  including  Al-­‐Quds  University,  have  great  difficulty  in  receiving  formal  recognition  in  Israel  of  their  degrees.  In  April  2014,  the  court  ruled  that  medical  degrees  received  from  Al-­‐Quds  University  must  be  recognized.  

Health  There  are  25  mother-­‐and-­‐baby  health  centres  in  the  west  of  the  city,  and  only  4  in  the  east.  The  pledge  to  build  a  fifth  centre  has  been  delayed  already  for  several  years.  85-­‐90%  of  adults  and  90%  of  the  minors  who  require  mental  health  care,  are  unable  to  receive  it.ix    

The  erection  of  the  separation  barrier,  and  restrictions  placed  on  the  arrival  of  patients  and  medical  staff  from  the  Occupied  Territories  into  Jerusalem,  has  caused  extreme  financial  deficits  and  financial  difficulties  in  managing  East  Jerusalem  medical  institutions.  In  2013  the  European  Union  transferred  NIS  61  million  to  the  Palestinian  Authority  to  assist  the  six  Palestinian  hospitals  in  Jerusalem  deal  with  the  financial  crisis  they  have  been  forced  to  contend  with.x  

Development,  Construction  &  House  Demolitions  Only  14%  of  East  Jerusalem  territory  is  zoned  for  Palestinian  residential  construction.  The  maximum  level  of  construction  in  Palestinian  neighborhoods  stands  at  25-­‐50%  of  capacity,  while  Jewish  neighborhoods  build  at  75%-­‐125%.xi  Since  the  beginning  of  2014,  more  than  17  houses  and  buildings  have  been  demolished.      

Since  1967,  1/3  of  all  Palestinian  land  in  Jerusalem  has  been  confiscated,  upon  which  tens  of  thousands  of  houses  have  been  built  for  Jewish  residents.  35%  of  zoned  areas  in  Palestinian  neighborhoods  have  been  designated  as  “open  landscape  areas”  upon  which  it  is  forbidden  to  build.xii  

Outline  plans  for  Palestinian  neighborhoods  do  not  encompass  most  of  the  land  owned  by  its  residents.  Local  and  regional  planning  and  construction  committees  refuse  to  promote  plans  that  are  submitted  to  enable  development  in  Palestinian  neighborhoods.  In  April  2014,  a  group  of  residents  submitted  a  petition  to  the  courts  demanding  that  the  municipality  take  steps  to  advance  building  plans  for  A-­‐Sawhara  that  were  completed  in  2008.xiii  

Water  and  Sewage  East  Jerusalem  is  suffering  from  a  dire  shortage  of  sewage  pipes  –  50km  in  all.xiv    In  the  absence  of  appropriate  sewage,  the  residents  are  forced  to  use  septic  tanks  that  repeatedly  flood,  resulting  in  a  host  of  public  hazards.  

Ongoing  difficulties  also  exist  with  respect  to  access  to  fresh  water.    In  March  2014  water  services  were  disrupted  in  thousands  of  buildings  in  the  neighborhoods  east  of  the  separation  barrier  and  past  the  Shuafat  Refugee  Camp  checkpoint.    During  a  High  Court  hearing  on  an  expedited  petition  filed  by  the  residents,  representatives  of  the  state  declared  that  they  do  not  know  the  source  of  the  problem  or  how  to  sole  it,  and  asked  for  60  days  to  examine  the  issue.xv  

Postal  Services  East  Jerusalem  has  just  9  post  offices,  compared  with  42  in  West  Jerusalem;  in  many  neighborhoods,  mail  delivery  is  infrequent  and  irregular  –  8  mail  carriers  and  3  subcontractors  deliver  mail  to  all  of  East  Jerusalem,  compared  to  133  mail  carriers  working  in  the  west.  

In  8  East  Jerusalem  neighborhoods,  mail  is  delivered  via  various  storefronts  –  groceries  and  hairdressers.xvi  Following  a  petition  filed  by  ACRI  to  the  High  Court  of  Justice,xvii  the  city  began  giving  names  to  the  streets  and  numbers  to  the  buildings,  which  should  make  regular  home  delivery  possible.  According  to  the  city,  the  assignation  of  street  names  is  scheduled  to  be  completed  within  a  few  months.xviii    

Beyond  the  Separation  Barrier    The  construction  of  142km  of  the  separation  barrier,xix  the  closure  of  checkpoints,  and  a  policy  of  requiring  entry  permits  have  cut  East  Jerusalem  off  from  the  rest  of  the  West  Bank  and  led  to  a  weakening  in  the  social  and  economic  conditions  of  residents.    Throughout  2014,  construction  of  the  wall  continued  in  the  areas  of  Al-­‐Walja  and  A-­‐Sawahara.    

More  than  100,000  residentsxx  of  the  neighborhoods  Ras  Khamis,  Ras  Shahada,  Dhiyaat  A-­‐Salam,  the  Shuafat  Refugee  Camp,  Kfar  Akab,  and  Samirmis  were  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  Jerusalem  by  the  wall,  and  have  suffered  from  abject  neglect  ever  since.    Despite  the  fact  that  the  neighborhoods  are  located  within  the  municipal  boundaries  of  Jerusalem  in  an  area  that  was  annexed  by  the  State  of  Israel,  they  do  not  receive  even  the  most  basic  services.    There  are  only  three  schools  operating  in  the  area;  there  is  no  garbage  collection;  no  playgrounds,  street  lamps  or  sidewalks;  many  roads  are  unpaved  or  not  maintained,  and  public  transportation  is  sparse.xxi  There  is  no  police  presence  and  residents  complain  of  unabated  rises  in  crime.  Every  day  residents  must  pass  through  checkpoints  in  order  to  reach  the  rest  of  the  city  for  work,  school,  medical  attention,  family  visits,  etc.  The  Qalandiya  and  Shuafat  checkpoints  suffer  from  heavy  traffic  that  make  passing  through  them  extraordinarily  difficult.  

Residency  Status  From  1967-­‐2013  Israel  revoked  the  residency  of  14,309  East  Jerusalem  Palestinians;  in  2013,  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior  revoked  the  residency  of  106  East  Jerusalem  Palestinians,  including  50  women  and  24  minors.  This  year  Israel  reinstated  residency  for  35  East  Jerusalemites;xxii  the  High  Court  of  Justice  rejected  an  appeal  to  cease  the  policy  of  revoking  residency.xxiii    

Thousands  of  families  in  Jerusalem  are  forced  to  deal  with  difficulties  created  by  an  amendment  to  the  Law  of  Citizenship  according  to  which  residents  of  the  West  Bank  married  to  Israeli  residents  or  citizens  are  no  longer  entitled  to  residency  status  in  Israel.  They  are  now  able  to  attain  temporary  permits  at  best.  In  response  to  a  High  Court  petition  filed  by  various  organizations,xxiv  the  government  refused  to  grant  national  insurance  benefits  to  family  members  without  status;  in  2014  the  Minister  of  Health  approved  new  regulations  that  entrench  inadequate,  expensive,  and  discriminatory  arrangements  for  Palestinian  family  members,  as  compared  to  the  full  health  benefits  to  which  other  foreigners  married  to  Israelis  are  entitled  to  receive.  

www.acri.org.il/en      

                                                                                                               i According to statistics released by the Central Bureau of Statistics to mark Jerusalem Day on May 6, 2013, the number of residents of Jerusalem in 2011 was 804,400 persons, of whom 499,400 were Jews (62%), 281,100 were Muslims (35%), 14,700 were Christians (approx. 2%), 9,000 were without religious classification according to the Interior Ministry and 200 were Druze. http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/newhodaot/hodaa_template.html?hodaa=201311119 Updated statistics are expected to be released in the lead up to Jerusalem Day 2014. ii Poverty and Social Gaps Indicators, 2012, Annual Report, National Insurance Institute. Table 11, page 30. http://www.btl.gov.il/Publications/oni_report/Documents/DohOni2012.pdf iii Child, Youth and Family Welfare Services, East Jerusalem, Situation Report (Presentation), Jerusalem Municipality Welfare Department, June 2013. iv Based on the data provided to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel by the Jerusalem Municipality in a letter dated 06.06.2013. v This was declared by the Minister for Welfare and Social Services, Meir Cohen, at a full Knesset hearing on 17.12.2013. vi Annual Status Report: The Failing East Jerusalem Education System, The Association for Civil Rights in Israel and Ir Amim, August 2013. http://www.acri.org.il/en/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EJ-edu-report-2013.pdf vii See Footnote 2. viii See Footnote 2. ix Letter to the Executive-Director of the Ministry of Health from The Forum for the Development of Mental Health Services in East Jerusalem, 21 March 2013. x PA to Send 61 Million Shekel to East Jerusalem Hospitals”, 29.7.2013, Ma’an News http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=617799 xi Administrative Petition 36572-04-13, Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights and The Association for Civil Rights in Israel vs. Chairman of the Jerusalem District Planning and Construction Committee, et al. http://www.acri.org.il/en/2013/10/01/jerusalem-2000-petition/ xii See Footnote 5. xiii “East Jerusalem Construction on Hold for Four Years”, Nir Hasson, Ha’aretz, 31.03.2014. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.582848 xiv Statistics from HaGihon Water Utility supplied to ACRI in 2012 xv Sanduka v. National Water and Sewage Authorities, HCJ 14/2235 xvi March 12, 2013 letter from the Postal Authority to ACRI xvii Rasam Abidat v. Israel Post, Inc., HCJ 10/4414 xviii Municipal representative Danny Liebman during a hearing on February 12, 2014, HCJ 10/4414 xix Update on the Wall, Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), July 2011 http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_barrier_update_july_2011_hebrew.pdf. xx The population of these neighborhoods is not known to the authorities, but different surveys estimate that between 60,000 and 80,000 residents live I the Shuafat Refugee Camp, and similar number in Kfar Akab. Both are located within Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries, but on the east side of the Separation Barrier. xxi Letter of Colin Himes, Manager of the Jerusalem Outskirts Community Board, to Member of Knesset Adi Koll, Public Petitions Committee Chair xxii Response of the Interior Ministry to a freedom of information request from the Center for the Defense of the Individual xxiii Siyang v. Minister of Interior, HCJ 08/2392; see also Khalil v. Minister of Interior, HCJ 08/5037; Qar’in v. Minister of Interior, HCJ 11/2797; Zin v. Minister of Interior, HCJ 13/2761 xxiv Association for Civil Rights in Israel v. Minister of Health, HCJ 09/2649. The petition was filed by ACRI, Physicians for Human Rights, and Kayan-Feminist Organization.