UNITED NATIONS

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian territory

KEY HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS

KEY FACTS
Around 293,000 Palestinians currently reside in East Jerusalem, in addition to 200,000 Israeli settlers who reside in the settlements which have been constructed and expanded since 1967, contrary to international law (end of 2011, ICBS). Approximately 4 million Palestinians from the remainder of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) are prohibited from entering East Jerusalem without Israeli-issued permits, which are difficult to obtain. Access to East Jerusalem is controlled by a combination of physical and administrative obstacles. Palestinians who are able to obtain permits can only use four of the 16 checkpoints along the Barrier. Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem lack a secure legal residency status. Between 1967 and mid-2010, around 14,000 Palestinians had their Jerusalem residency revoked by the Israeli authorities. Approximately 55,000 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are physically separated from the urban centre by the Barrier; they must cross crowded checkpoints to access health, education and other services to which they are entitled as residents of Jerusalem. 35% of land in East Jerusalem has been confiscated for Israeli settlement use; only 13% of East Jerusalem is zoned for Palestinian construction, much of which is already built-up. At least 33% of all Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem lack Israeli-issued building permits, which are difficult to obtain, potentially placing at least 93,100 residents at risk of displacement, which has a psychological impact. Since 1967, the Israeli authorities have demolished some 2,000 houses in East Jerusalem. Several hundred Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are at risk of forced displacement due to settler activities, particularly in the Old City, Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah. There is a chronic shortage of classrooms in East Jerusalem: 1,100 additional classrooms are required to accommodate Palestinian children and many existing facilities are substandard or unsuitable.

EAST JERUSALEM:
UPDATE DECEMBER 2012

1. Israels unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem and the surrounding West Bank hinterland contravenes international law. It is not recognized by the international community which considers East Jerusalem an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), (see UN Security Council resolutions 252, 267, 471, 476 and 478). 2. Since1967, Israeli measures have altered the status of East Jerusalem and affected the residency status of Palestinians, their access to basic services, and their ability to plan and develop their communities. In the long term, failure to address these factors risks undermining the Palestinian presence in East Jerusalem. 3. Israeli settlement activity in East Jerusalem is illegal and occurs at the expense of land and resources for Palestinian construction and development, placing residents at risk of forced eviction, displacement and dispossession. As the occupying power, Israel is responsible for administering the occupied

territory for the benefit of the protected Palestinian population. 4. Israeli-imposed movement and access restrictions also impede the access of Palestinians from the rest of the West Bank and from the Gaza Strip to services in East Jerusalem, including health facilities which provide specialised and emergency health services unavailable elsewhere in the oPt. Physical and bureaucratic obstacles impact access of medical staff to hospitals and clinics and access of students to schools. 5. The Barrier, settlement expansion and related restrictions on Palestinian movement are increasingly cutting off East Jerusalem the focus of Palestinian political, commercial, religious and cultural life from the rest of the oPt. Planned settlement expansion in the wider Jerusalem metropolitan area, particularly the E1 plan, will increase this separation.

P . O. Box 38712 East Jerusalem 91386 l tel. +972 (0)2 582 9962 l fax +972 (0)2 582 5841 l ochaopt@un.org

l www.ochaopt.org

with QR reader App

Scan it!

2
December 2012
Givat Assaf Mevo'ot Jericho
Jenin

UNITED NATIONS

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, occupied Palestinian territory

Settlement in the Jerusalem Area

Na'ama Psagot Migron
Qalqiliya Salfit Ramallah Jericho Tulkarm

Tubas Nablus

Beit Horon Airport Binyamin Industrial Area Ma'ale Hagit Geva Binyamin Adam Neve Ya'akov Alon Almon Kfar Adumim Nofei Prat Mitzpe Yericho Ramot Allon Ramat Shlomo Maalot Dafna Mount Scopus Mishor Adumim Ma'ale Adumim Jewish Quarter French Hill Pisgat Ze'ev Vered Yericho Atarot

Kochav Ya'akov

Ma'ale Michmash

Hebron

Giva'at Ze'ev Giv'on

Jerusalem Bethlehem

Mevo Horon

Giv'on Ha'hadasha

Har Shmuel

Har Adar

E1

Beit Ha'arava

Almog

Maale Zeytim Keidar East Talpiyyot Giv'at Ha-Matos Gillo Har Gilo Har Homa Kalia

ISRAEL

Map Legend
Buildings Occupied by Settlers

Beitar Illit

Neve Daniel North

Gva'ot

Neve Daniel Efrata

Rosh Tzurim El'azar

Old City of Jerusalem Ovnat Israeli Unilaterally Declared Dead Boundary Sea Jerusalem Municipal Green Line (1949 Armistice)
Tko'a Nokdim

Bat Ayin

Kfar Etzion

Alon Shvut

West Bank Barrier Israeli Settlement Outer Limit

FACT SHEET December 2012

Migdal Oz

2.5

10 Km

Palestinian Built-up Area