‫فلســـــــطـني‬

Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

Jerusalem Unit
Office of the President
November 2010
 ‫فلســـــــطـني‬

Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem
Jerusalem Unit
Office of the President
November2010
This project is funded by the EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union is made up of 27 Member States who have

decided to gradually link together their know-how, resources, and
destinies. Together, during a period of enlargement of 50 years,
they have built a zone of stability, democracy, and sustainable
development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and
individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing
its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond
its borders.”

The European Commission is the EU’s executive body.

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A word of gratitude
The preparation of the Strategic Multi-Sector Development Plan (SMDP)
would not have been possible had it not been for the collective efforts and
the active contribution of a number of individuals and institutions. The SMDP
Policy Committee would like to express its special thanks to his Excellency
President Mahmoud Abbas for his guidance and continuous support.

We would like to thank the various departments and units within the Office
of the President. In particular, we would like to thank Dr. Rafiq Al Husseini,
the former Chief of Staff who laid the foundations for the SMDP and provided
continuous support. We would also like to thank Dr. Hussein Al A'raj the Chief
of Staff and Mrs. Intisar Abu Amara, the director of the President’s office for
their continuous interest and support for the success of this endeavour.

Special thanks and appreciation are extended to Advocate Ahmad Rwaidy,

head of the Jerusalem Unit, for his leading role and his consistent coordination
and follow up of the SMDP process. Special thanks and appreciation is also
extended to Areej Daibas for her dedication and efforts in coordinating the
preparation and publication of the SMDP and to the Project’s team, as well as
the experts, the organisations, and the individuals who have contributed their
time and efforts towards completing this work through their participation at
the various stages of the Project over the past two years.

Last but not least, we would like to express our thanks and gratitude to the
European Union for their generous contribution and their technical support
to the Project.
 Jerusalem Governorate according to the Palestinian definition

Courtesy of Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ)

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 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

Content
Foreword
Introduction . ...............................................................................................................................2
1.1 Multi-Sector Review (MSR) 2003 and SMDP 2008............................................................................ 2
1.2 Development in East Jerusalem and the SMDP 2011-2013............................................................... 2
Outline of the SMDP . ..................................................................................................................6
Plan Framework ..........................................................................................................................8
3.1 Introduction . .................................................................................................................................. 8
3.1.1 SMDP 2011-2013......................................................................................................................... 8
3.1.2 Sector Focus and Challenges ........................................................................................................ 8
3.2 Principles guiding development of the SMDP ................................................................................... 9
3.2.1 Political ....................................................................................................................................... 9
3.2.2. Legal........................................................................................................................................... 9
3.2.3 Financial . .................................................................................................................................... 9
3.2.4 Institutional and organisational . ................................................................................................ 10
3.2.5 Development ............................................................................................................................. 10
3.3 Scope of the Plan . ........................................................................................................................ 11
3.3.1 Geographic . .............................................................................................................................. 11
3.3.2 Time frame ................................................................................................................................ 11
Methodology .............................................................................................................................14
4.1 Working principles ........................................................................................................................ 14
4.2 Planning framework . .................................................................................................................... 14
4.3 Organisational setting of the SMDP . ............................................................................................. 15
4.3.1 Policy Committee........................................................................................................................ 15

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 4.3.2 Sector Advisory Groups .............................................................................................................. 16
4.3.3 Jerusalem Unit . ......................................................................................................................... 16
4.4 Planning steps .............................................................................................................................. 16
Current situation analysis of occupied East Jerusalem .............................................................20
5.1 Legal background ......................................................................................................................... 20
5.2 Political background...................................................................................................................... 21
5.3 Demography and geography ......................................................................................................... 24
5.4 Social conditions . ......................................................................................................................... 26
5.5 Economic context ......................................................................................................................... 28
Vision, goals, and specific development objectives ..................................................................32
6.1 Vision............................................................................................................................................ 32
6.2 Palestinian long term goals ........................................................................................................... 32
6.3 Overall SMDP objectives ............................................................................................................... 32
6.4 Challenges and common issues . ................................................................................................... 32
6.4.1 Israeli measures against Palestinians and their institutions in East Jerusalem ............................... 32
6.4.2 Limited resources . ..................................................................................................................... 33
6.4.3 Lack of reliable information . ...................................................................................................... 33
6.4.4 Weak Palestinian institutional and governance structures ........................................................... 33
6.4.5 Human rights . ........................................................................................................................... 33
6.4.6 Social equity and gender balance ............................................................................................... 34
Summary of sector studies: main sector challenges, objectives, and strategic responses........36
7.1 Social protection and development cluster: main sector findings, strategic objectives
identified and responses..................................................................................................................... 37
7.1.1 Education sector ........................................................................................................................ 37
7.1.2 Youth sector .............................................................................................................................. 42
7.1.3 Health sector ............................................................................................................................. 45
7.1.4 Social welfare sector .................................................................................................................. 48
7.1.5 Culture and heritage sector . ...................................................................................................... 50
7.2 Economic development cluster ...................................................................................................... 53
7.2.1 Economic sector ........................................................................................................................ 53
7.2.2 Tourism sector ........................................................................................................................... 56
7.2.3 Housing sector . ......................................................................................................................... 59
7.3 Human rights protection cluster .................................................................................................... 62

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7.3.1 Citizenship sector ...................................................................................................................... 62

7.3.2 Urban planning sector ............................................................................................................... 66
7.3.3 Environment sector .................................................................................................................... 69
Investment Plan . .......................................................................................................................74
Plan for implementation of the SMDP.......................................................................................76
9.1 Key factors in SMDP implementation ............................................................................................. 76
9.1.1 Building complementarities and cross-sector coordination.......................................................... 76
9.1.2 Ensuring complementarities and optimising efforts and resources among Palestinian official
institutions and with international partners ......................................................................................... 76
9.1.3 Strengthening the Palestinian identity and sense of belonging ................................................... 76
9.1.4 Linking immediate interventions with the long term vision for Jerusalem as capital of the
future state of Palestine....................................................................................................................... 76
9.2 Key mechanisms in SMDP implementation . ................................................................................... 77
9.2.1 Governance and management mechanism ................................................................................. 77
9.2.2 Mechanism for financing the SMDP investment Plan . ................................................................. 79
9.2.3 Donor coordination mechanism . ................................................................................................ 81
9.2.4 Mechanism for civil society and private sector participation ........................................................ 81
Monitoring, evaluation, and updating mechanisms of the SMDP..............................................84
10.1 Establishing M&E system for the SMDP ....................................................................................... 84
10.2 Monitoring inputs ....................................................................................................................... 85
10.3 Monitoring outputs . ................................................................................................................... 85
10.4 Monitoring outcomes . ................................................................................................................ 85
10.5 Impact assessment ..................................................................................................................... 85
10.6 Monitoring changes in the development context ......................................................................... 85
10.7 Beginning establishment of a M&E system for the SMDP.............................................................. 86
Risk management matrix ..........................................................................................................88
Tables
Table 1: Allocation of the 11 sectors of the SMDP to three strategic clusters............................................ 6
Table 2: Comparison between East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem ....................................................... 27
Table 3: Number of students in schools according to the supervising party 2008-2009.......................... 38
Table 4: Infrastructure in schools and public safety matters (i.e. electricity, water, bathrooms, and lighting)... 39
Table 5: Provision of science laboratories in schools according to supervising party . ............................. 39
Table 6: Families in Jerusalem according to population density and national affiliation 1986-2007........ 59

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 Table 7: Budget Summary (US$)........................................................................................................... 74
Maps
Map 1: Jerusalem Governorate According to the Palestinian Definition................................................... VI
Map 2: Israeli Wall and Settlements around Occupied East Jerusalem . ................................................. 23
Figures
Figure 1: Main Components of a M&E system....................................................................................... 48
Appendix 1: Investment Plan.....................................................................................................92
Appendix 2: Selected references..............................................................................................104
 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

Acknowledgements
Policy Committee members
Mazen Sinokrot – Former Minister of National Economy- Head of Policy Committee
Rafiq Al Husseinin- Former Chief of Staff
Adnan Al Husseini – Governor of Jerusalem
Ahmad Rwaidy- Head of the Jerusalem Unit- Office of the President
Bernard Sabella- Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (Jerusalem governorate)
Salah Zuheikeh- Member of the Palestinian National Council (Jerusalem)
Fadwa Khader –Member of the Higher Committee for Jerusalem Affairs
Issa Kassissieh- Deputy Head of the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department
Ola Awad- Acting Head of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Cairo Arafat- Coordinator at the Government Media Center (Formerly Ministry of Planning)
Varsen Aghabekian- Expert on institutional development
Abdel Qader Al Husseini- Director of Faisal Al Husseini Foundation

Heads of Sector Advisory Groups

Social protection and development Cluster
Arafat Al Hidmi- Health
Sameer Jibreel- Education
Nazmi Al Ju’beh- Culture and Heritage
Mazen Ja’bari- Youth Sector
Nora Kort- Social Welfare

Economic development Cluster

Mazen Sinokrot- Economy
Hani Abu Diab- Housing
Yousef Daher- Tourism

Human rights protection Cluster

Jad Ishaq – Urban Planning and Environment
Abdel Rahman Abu Arafeh- Citizenship

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 Members of Sector Advisory Groups

Education Social Welfare Tourism

Suleiman Rabadi Fatenah Fityani Omar Al Khatib
Francis Gharfeh Ghassan Kasabreh Sami Abu Dayyeh
Hassan Dweik Raed Sa’adeh
Safa’ Nassereddeen Culture and heritage Michel Bahnam
Nabil Sublaban Jack Persekian Khaled Husseini
Durgham Abdel Aziz Rania Elias
Rawan Sharaf Urban Planning
Health Jamal Ghosheh Jamal Amro
Tawfiq Nasser Nael Salman
Azmi Abu Khalil Economy Husam Salsa’a
Yousef Sha’bani Azzam Abu So’oud Ali Abdel Hameed
Omayya Khammash Osama Salah
Sami Nabulsi Nabil Abu Diab Environment
Haitham Al Hassan Mousa Abu Gharbiyyeh
Maha Yasmineh Housing Mohammad Srour
Khalil Abu Arafeh Sarhan Salaymeh
Youth Ibrahim Younan Abdel Rahman Al Tamimi
Fadwa Husseini Foad Daqqaq Tahseen Yaqeen
Jamal Adileh
Ahmad Sroor Citizenship
Hiyam Elayyan Zakaria Odeh
Dima Ju’beh Ziad Hammouri
Hazem Abu Seir
Sector experts
Alia Sha’ar- Education
Asma Imam- Health
Yehya Hijazi- Youth
Najwa Silwadi- Social Welfare
Nazmi Ju’beh- Culture and heritage

Basem Makhoul and Ahmad Siam- Economy

Ahmad Abu Hussein- Housing
Sami Khoury- Tourism

Yousef Jabareen- Urban Planning

Stephen Mcilwaine and Mohammad Hmaidi- Environment
Nizar Ayyoub, Mousa Dweik, and Sami Irsheid- Cizenship

Project Team
Ahmad Rwaidy- Overall Supervisor
Areej Daibas- Senior Sector Coordinator
Khalil Nijem- M&E/Methodology Expert
Sonia Najjar- Project Development Expert
May Zawahreh- Executive Assistant
Dariusz Kobus - IMG Head of Mission
Judith Selman - IMG Programme Manager

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Multi Sector East
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Acronyms
CBOs Community-based Organisations
CDS City Development Strategies
CEDAW Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women
CERD Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination
CRC Convention for the Rights of the Child
EC European Commission
EJCN East Jerusalem Clinic Network
ESG Economic Strategy Group
EMTs Emergency Medical Technicians
EQA Environmental Quality Authority (PNA agency)
EU European Union
EUREP Office of the European Representative West Bank and Gaza Strip
GSG Governance Strategy Group
ICT Information Communications Technology
IT information Technology
ISG Infrastructure Strategy Group
ICJ International Court of Justice
ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
JWU Jerusalem Water Undertaking
LDF Local Development Forum
MAS Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute
MCM Million Cubic Metres

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 MoEHE PNA Ministry of Education and Higher Education
MEP Ministry of Environmental Protection (Israeli agency)
MoF PNA Ministry of Finance
MoPAD PNA Ministry of Planning and Administrative Development
MCS Monitoring and Coordination Section
MCU Monitoring and Coordination Unit
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation
MSR Multi-Sector Review
NEAP National Environmental Action Plan
NPA National Parks Authority (Israeli agency)
NGO Non-governmental organization
OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
oPt occupied Palestinian territory
OoP Office of the Palestinian President
PCBS Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
PHC Primary Health Care
PIPA Palestinian Investment Promotion Agency
PLO Palestinian Liberation Organization
PNA Palestinian National Authority
PNP Palestinian National Plan
PRCS Palestinian Red Crescent Society
PRDP Palestinian Reform and Development Plan
PTB Palestine Tourism Board
PalTrade Palestine Trade Centre
SAG Sector Advisory Group
SWGs Sector Working Groups
SDSG Social Development Strategy Group
SGs Strategic Groups
SMDP Strategic Multi-sector Development Plan
SWM Solid Waste Management
SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
UN United Nations
UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
UNSCO United Nations Special Coordinator Office for the Middle East

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 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

Foreword
Given its spiritual and cultural value and heritage Jerusalem lies at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict. These
same qualities also make Jerusalem important to people around the world. Despite this Jerusalem is also a
city whose people suffer from poverty, unemployment, and the daily targeting of their presence.

In addition to being a religious and spiritual centre, Jerusalem is also a city with various economic, cultural,
economic, and social components that possesses exceptional commercial and touristic potential. Viewing
Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state is not merely a Palestinian aspiration but rather
a goal and basic principle that enjoys the consensus of all Palestinians. The Palestinian position on the
question of Jerusalem is based on political, historic, religious, geographic, and economic facts.

Since the occupation of the city in 1967, Israeli policies and actions have targeted the Palestinian presence
in the city. Firstly, Israel changed the total area of Jerusalem and extended its domestic legislation over the
city. Subsequently, Israel constructed the Separation Wall to isolate Jerusalem from the rest of occupied
Palestinian territory (oPt) which severed the city from its demographic, geographic, and economic support
base. Israel classified Palestinians living in Jerusalem as mere residents and assumed the right to evict and
deport them out of the city in order to restrict Palestinian presence. At the same time, Israel confiscated and
seized land and properties and built settlements that surround the city from Qalandia in the north to Al
Walajeh in the south.

As Israel tightened the political, economic, and social siege imposed on the city, it activated its policy of
deportation against the Palestinian population. It did this by using the pretext of residency and the policy
of house demolitions to achieve a collective transfer of Palestinians, particularly those residing in areas near
the Old City such as the neighbourhoods of Wadi Hilweh and Al Bustan in Silwan, as well as in Sheikh Jarrah
and Wadi Al Joz. Israeli also closed active Jerusalem-based organisations in order to eliminate the Palestinian
identity of the people and the city and to oblige Palestinians to become completely dependent on Israeli
institutions.

Jerusalem is a top priority for the Palestinian leadership and President Mahmoud Abbas. This is attributed
to the city’s central role as the political, geographic, economic, and cultural heart of Palestine as well as the
symbol of Palestinian national identity that it represents. As such, the President ordered the establishment
of the Jerusalem Unit within his office, the Office of the Palestinian President (OoP). The Jerusalem Unit

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 is a technical unit that serves the political decision making process, provides studies that determine the
development needs of people in Jerusalem, and follows up on daily issues in the city. In addition, the
Jerusalem Unit strives to address the requirements of organisations in Jerusalem, focuses on mobilisation of
the community, and serves as the link between the President and Palestinians in the city.

Today, Jerusalem needs urgent support to strengthen the steadfastness of the Palestinian people against
Israel’s repressive occupation measures. It is in this context that the current Strategic Multi-Sector Development
Plan (SMDP) 2011 – 2013 was prepared. The purpose of the Plan is to assess the needs of the city across
the full spectrum of sectors and propose projects and interventions that foment Palestinian identity and the
Palestinian character of the city. Through addressing the issues that adversely affect these different sectors,
the SMDP aims to alleviate the daily suffering of Palestinians as well as the obstacles posed to organisations.
However, the Plan’s overarching goal is to provide the foundation for Jerusalem to become the capital of the
future Palestinian state.

The SMDP has built on previous sector studies and assessed the needs of eleven development sectors in the
city. It provides strategies and guidelines for development in Jerusalem over a three-year period spanning
2011-2013. The Plan is intended to serve the Palestinian leadership, the international community, and the
local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) based in Jerusalem as they design and
implement development programmes and interventions in the city. It also proposes coordination mechanisms
with the various stakeholders in order to streamline and ensure complementary activities while avoiding
duplication of efforts and inefficient use of resources.

The SMDP is the fruit of a collective effort by the various stakeholders within Palestinian society, particularly
in Jerusalem. It is the result of joint governmental and non-governmental efforts. The interaction by these
actors was indispensable in producing the SMDP through adhering to the methodology and procedures for
strategic planning. This endeavour will contribute towards serving Jerusalem by identifying its needs and the
development projects needed to support the steadfastness of its people.

We hope that the proposed programmes and interventions receive the needed support from the various
parties at the Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and international levels. Such support is critical in order for the SMDP
to be fruitful and in order for Jerusalem to be accorded due attention and support

SMDP Team
Jerusalem Unit
November 2010

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1
Introduction
1 Introduction
1.1 Multi-Sector Review (MSR) 2003 and SMDP 2006
In 2003, the Arab Studies Society conducted a multi-sector study for East Jerusalem funded by the European
Union (EU). The study involved an assessment of needs across different sectors and produced, through a
participatory approach, a list of priority projects. Given the absence of an official umbrella the study was
project-oriented. However, it laid the foundation for a consolidated list of interventions that were needed and
became a reference document for Jerusalem NGOs and donors.

In 2004, a two-year project was funded by the EU and hosted by the Welfare Association to establish a
Monitoring and Coordination Unit (MCU)1. The MCU oversaw the updating of the multi-sector study of
2003, and a SMDP was produced in 2006. The process involved verification of the 2003 priority development
projects needed in East Jerusalem and added new projects based on the subsequent developments. While
the plan continued to serve as a reference point for NGOs and donors, the MCU as a structure ceased to
function after the end of the project. However, the need for such a Unit and more importantly of development
projects to reverse the impact of Israeli measures was strongly felt by Palestinians residing in East Jerusalem.
This was felt acutely in the absence of official Palestinian institutions operating in East Jerusalem, particularly
since the closure of the Orient House in 2001, the isolation of East Jerusalem from its Palestinian context,
and scarce donor funding due to the complex legal status of the city.

In response to these growing needs and concerns, in March 2007, the Palestinian President, in accordance
with his electoral platform and in his capacity as the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO),
ordered the establishment of a Jerusalem Unit within his office. The Jerusalem Unit is a technical unit with the
primary task of providing information, studies and analysis needed to serve Jerusalem at the political level.
Furthermore, the Unit has the task of contributing to the long term strategic development of East Jerusalem
by preparing comprehensive plans based on the participation of all key civil society stakeholders and drafting
project proposals.

1.2 Development in East Jerusalem and the SMDP 2011 - 2013

The development process in East Jerusalem lacks an institutionalised framework based on a comprehensive
strategic vision. The MCU project, supported by the EU, produced a SMDP with a database of related priority
development projects. However, since the end of that project in 2006, the SMDP has lacked systematic follow
up and updating, and donor funding was not mobilised in a coordinated and organised manner.

Furthermore, there is a lack of consolidated information about development needs assessments, major
programmes and projects of NGOs and Community Based Organisations (CBOs), or significant donor
interventions. Such information is crucial for any future fundraising strategies to be carried out by the
Jerusalem Unit of the OoP or Jerusalem based organisations. It is equally important for donors and funding
agencies wishing to work and provide targeted and coordinated assistance to Jerusalem.

There is also a need for coordination and monitoring, and evaluation mechanisms that ensure effective
implementation of development projects and the achievement of real impacts on the ground. The absence
of coordination among NGOs regarding planned and integrated development has led to fragmentation of
efforts, duplication of activities in some cases, and the absence of genuine impact. NGOs in general have
been adversely affected by Israeli measures and, in the difficult operating environment created many seek to
continue functioning at the expense of strategic programming and fulfilment of community needs.

1 The Monitoring and Coordination Unit (MCU) was renamed the Monitoring and Coordination Section (MCS) under SMDP 2011 – 2013.

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 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem
The situation is further exacerbated by the fragmentation of the Palestinian people and the isolation of East
Jerusalem from the rest of the oPt. This is jeopardising the viability of Jerusalem as the capital of the future
Palestinian state, preventing it from fulfilling its historical role as the natural socio-economic and political
centre of Palestine. Palestinian control and development of East Jerusalem is essential for the revitalisation
of the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The realities of the aforementioned situation are characterised by Israel’s complete disrespect for international
law and its intentional disregard for the needs of the Palestinian community. The resulting harm that has
been caused to the Palestinian nation poses significant challenges. Questions that are raised include:
• How can the PLO assist Jerusalemites to survive and thrive within the existing context in order to have a
solid foundation for the capital of the future Palestinian state?
• How can we build upon local capacity to instigate ownership of and commitment to development of the
Palestinian community in Jerusalem and inspire a Palestinian Jerusalemite identity largely diminished by
the impacts of occupation and fragmentation?

Within this context and in fulfilment of its mandate the Jerusalem Unit, through funding from the EU, started
the process of updating and developing the Strategic Multi-Sector Development Plan for East Jerusalem
(SMDP) 2011-2013, and making it operational.

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2
Outline of the SMDP
2 Outline of the SMDP
The SMDP is divided into eleven sections.

Section one provides the background for the preparation of the Plan, while sections three and four provide
information about the Plan's framework and methodology, addressing the governing structures of the Plan,
the Plan's governing policies, and a description of the various planning phases.

Section five provides an analysis of the existing situation in East Jerusalem including an analysis of legal,
political, and socio-economic conditions. Section six provides a description of the vision, goals, and specific
objectives of the Plan.

The development of the SMDP focused on assessing the needs of eleven sectors. The sectors were clustered
into three groups based on three main factors:
1. Strategies are interrelated and complement each other.
2. Organisations interested and working in the clustered sectors are similar and/or already work closely
with each other.
3. There is possibility for joint implementation of programmes and activities as well as creating synergies.

Sectors were allocated to each cluster as follows (Table 1):

Table 1: Allocation of the 11 sectors of the SMDP to three strategic clusters

Cluster Sectors
Education
Youth
Social protection and development Health
Social Welfare
Culture and Heritage
Economy
Economic development includes Tourism
Housing
Citizenship
Human rights protection Urban Planning
Environment

Based on the needs assessment, section seven provides a summary of the main sector issues, objectives,
and strategic responses of the Plan. Section eight provides the Investment Plan2, while sections nine and
ten present the Implementation Plan and the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan respectively. Section eleven
provides a risk analysis.

2 The Investment Plan includes the Financial Plan.

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3
Plan Framework
3 Plan Framework
3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 SMDP 2011-2013

The SMDP seeks to ensure the steadfastness of a strong Palestinian community through providing a solid
and integrated foundation to ensure a positive political settlement. To this end, it identifies and addresses
the different sector development priorities through project development for the Palestinians residing in East
Jerusalem. Priority is given to Jerusalem within the Separation Wall as well as to strengthening its link with
its immediate surroundings. The latter will eventually extend to the rest of oPt to establish the contiguity
and viability for Jerusalem to be the future capital of the Palestinian state. The SMDP is in line with the
Palestinian National Authority’s (PNA) current plan, ’Palestine: Ending the Occupation Establishing the State’,
and it is in accordance with the recently released programme for implementing the second year of this plan,
‘Homestretch to Freedom’. In the latter document PNA states,

“The Government will continue to support citizens’ steadfastness and perseverance on their homeland by
working to improve their quality of life, responding pro actively to their social and economic needs. This
commitment applies to the entire homeland on the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza
Strip, without distinction on the grounds of the untenable divisions between the so-called ‘Area A’, ‘Area
B’ and ‘Area C’. This is a single political and geographic entity and the sovereign territory of the State of
Palestine.“

As appropriate, the SMDP follows up and builds upon previous initiatives regarding Jerusalem to ensure
efficient coordination, as well as proposing new projects based on the current findings and recommendations
of the sector experts. Upon endorsement by relevant Palestinian organisations, the SMDP aims to represent
a Palestinian owned strategy for East Jerusalem, reflecting their development priorities. At the same time, the
strategy will assist donors in identifying development priorities in line with Palestinian priorities.

3.1.2 Sector Focus and Challenges

Reminiscent of the 1948 illegal confiscation of homes and the physical displacement of Palestinians from
West Jerusalem, the Israeli stance on a “United Jerusalem” and an expanded “Greater Jerusalem” has
resulted in a calculated planning regime which has increased the systematic transfer of the Jewish population
into East Jerusalem while restricting the development of Palestinian life in East Jerusalem. In order to counter
such efforts, an extensive analysis of the challenges and solutions in different sectors has been carried out by
sector experts. The eleven sectors that are addressed are shown in Table 1.

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Plan for Jerusalem

3.2 Principles guiding development of the SMDP

3.2.1 Political
1. Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state and is an integral part of 1967 territory. Any interventions
should, at the strategic level, correspond with the need to create an enabling environment towards
realising Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.
2. The Arab Palestinian identity of Jerusalem should be preserved through the strengthening and
consolidation of the physical and moral Palestinian presence in the city.
3. Given the spiritual and religious importance of Jerusalem to the three monotheistic religions, it
is important to preserve the Islamic and Christian Waqf3 properties as an integral part of the city's
Palestinian identity.
4. Jerusalem’s real estate should be preserved as part of safeguarding the Arab character of the city.
5. The PLO is the political umbrella for work in Jerusalem.
6. There is a need to take proactive action through: taking initiatives; creating facts on the ground;
enhancing elements of steadfastness; steps to liberation that encompass all political, economic, social
and institutional aspects; and mobilising Palestinian, Arab, and international support.
7. Foreign and international institutions should be encouraged, as much as possible, to establish
headquarters in Jerusalem and hold political meetings in the city on the basis that the city is the capital
of the future Palestinian state.

3.2.2 Legal
1. As occupied territory, international humanitarian law applies to Jerusalem. Therefore, Israel, in its
capacity as the occupying force, is responsible for providing services in oPt. International aid provided to
the Palestinian people does not relieve Israel from its legal obligations and should be viewed within a
humanitarian context regardless of whether the aid is directed towards supporting services or towards
meeting basic needs.
2. Legal defence services provided to individuals and organisations are a top priority. Palestinians in
Jerusalem should be supported legally by contracting lawyers to represent them and through establishing
legal support centres that comprise teams of lawyers with various specialisations.
3. All Israeli violations should be documented and exposed in all forums and at all levels, and cases taken
to international competent entities.

3.2.3 Financial
1. Sufficient funds should be allocated for Jerusalem through the PNA general budget as well as from
external aid in a manner that corresponds with the number of Palestinian Jerusalemites (Jerusalemites)
and the status of Jerusalem as a capital according to the Law on the Capital of Palestine.
2. Mechanisms should be established for raising funds locally and determining the role of the private and
public sectors in this regard.

3 A Waqf in the current document refers to is an inalienable religious endowment, typically denoting a building or plot of land for religious or charitable purposes.

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 3. Effective coordination mechanisms with donors should be established regarding funds for Jerusalem.
The role of the OoP and other PNA institutions (particularly the Ministry of Planning and Administrative
Development (MoPAD) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) in the funding process should be determined.
4. Transparency and equity distributing financial resources related to assistance in Jerusalem should be
enhanced with the need for a monitoring mechanism.
5. Appropriate financing mechanisms should be developed that take into consideration the political and
legal complexities of East Jerusalem.

3.2.4 Institutional and organisational

1. Foundations for sustainable work in Jerusalem should be established through the creation of the widest
partnership possible between the public, private, and civil society sectors. Emphasis should be placed
on maintaining, activating and strengthening Jerusalem-based organisations and encouraging the
establishment of coalitions and sector networks between them, as well as enhancing and organising
voluntary work and the work of popular committees. The existence of an effective internal administrative
system for relevant institutions that allows easy and quick decision making at all levels, whether internally
within institutions, or externally among them, should be ensured.
2. It is necessary to ensure an effective institutional system that defines the roles and responsibilities of
all the relevant parties at all levels, clearly and specifically. This includes ministries and various PNA
institutions, determining their mandates, responsibilities, ensuring their complementarities and avoiding
overlap by separating planning, oversight, and executive mandates and duties.
3. Participation of members of the community or their representatives in decision making where they are
affected should be guaranteed. They should be informed of and consulted on the details of services
provided, use of land close to their homes, and monitoring of development in their area. They should be
encouraged to participate in implementation.
4. Work towards institutionalising the Policy Committee for Jerusalem and ensuring the sustainability of its
activities as a main lever for supporting the steadfastness of Jerusalemites and laying the foundations
for the city’s role as capital of the future Palestinian state. Communication and interaction between this
Committee, the people and institutions in Jerusalem should be initiated.
5. Make use of the expertise of Palestinian institutions inside the 1948 territory.
6. Enhance the relationship with active international organisations in Jerusalem through joint coordination,
planning, and implementation of programmes in a manner that serves the Palestinian population and
consolidates Palestinian presence in Jerusalem.

3.2.5 Development
1. Adopt coherent and concerted strategies that support the steadfastness and development of Palestinians
in Jerusalem. This includes alleviating the burden carried by Jerusalemites, strengthening, supporting and
preserving Jerusalem-based organisations towards a gradual transition to advanced stages of addressing
Israeli policies and facilitating the consolidation of Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian people.
2. Given the current situation in Jerusalem, priority should be attributed to development within the Separation
Wall, dealing with it as temporary and illegal structure. There is a need to maintain and strengthen
the links between the city and its direct environment outside the Separation Wall (i.e. the Jerusalem
Governorate, and the wider environment (i.e. oPt), in a functional and complementary manner.

10
 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

3. There is a need to strive, as much as possible, on disengagement from Israeli institutions, creating and
strengthening effective Palestinian alternatives.
4. Commitment to build a strategic partnership between the PNA, civil society, and the private sector while
activating civic engagement and participation, as well as consolidating principles of accountability and
transparency at all levels.
5. Balancing humanitarian needs with development interventions is required to provide sustainable
solutions that support marginalised, vulnerable, and poor segments of the community as well as to
address poverty and unemployment. Greater focus must be placed on economic issues, supporting and
enabling the private sector to assume its role as the driving force behind economic revival, particularly in
sectors that are critical to economic growth such as tourism, commerce, and services.
6. Activating the role of youth and addressing the issues they face is pivotal in facilitating fulfilment of
their potential. The potential of young people should be harnessed in a manner whereby they contribute
effectively and assume initiatives in the development processes in Jerusalem.
7. Given the accelerated pace of events in Jerusalem, it is crucial to develop plans, and identify and
implement priority projects and interventions.
8. Jerusalem-specific plans, priorities, and interventions must be included in Palestinian national plans,
particularly the Palestinian National Plan (PNP).

3.3 Scope of the Plan

3.3.1 Geographic
The SMDP focuses primarily on Jerusalem within the Separation Wall while ensuring linkages and reciprocal
relations with the immediate environment (i.e. outside the Separation Wall) and the wider environment (i.e.
the rest of the oPt).

3.3.2 Time frame

The SMDP covers the period of the next three years 2011-2013 and includes an Investment Plan that will be
continuously updated and developed based on the evaluation of the implementation process. It will take into
consideration the changes and events that may arise over the time frame of the SMDP.

11
 photo by: Creative ad

4
Methodology
4. Methodology
4.1 Working principles
The methodology used in the preparation of the SMDP adhered to the following principles:

1. Ensuring wide participation of stakeholders (i.e. public sector including local government entities, civil
society sector, private sector, and donors) at all stages of preparing the SMDP. This aimed to enhance
the sense of ownership among these parties and consolidate their commitment so as to achieve
consensus regarding important decisions on major issues and prioritisation of activity selection and
implementation. It was important to benefit from existing networks, coalitions and working groups
that focus on issues related to the SMDP and their engagement with SMDP fora was sought though
appropriate mechanisms.
2. Making use of a planning approach that combined central planning (i.e. top-down) and grassroots
processes (i.e. bottom-up) to ensure consistency and harmonisation between national policies and local
needs and priorities, while engaging higher political levels and decision makers in the various stages of
preparing the SMDP.
3. Integrating priority issues in the SMDP and identifying other strategic issues within a long term perspective,
while defining procedures for addressing them within the time frame of the current SMDP.
4. Ensuring sustainability of interventions at planning and implementation levels to work towards a
sustainable organisational and institutional framework that will be built upon gradually and enable the
city to prepare for becoming the capital of the independent Palestinian state.
5. Targeted compilation of information and data based on scientific methods and according to the
requirements of the strategic planning process and specific issues.
6. Unifying efforts through effective coordination among the various parties that implement relevant
programmes and activities, including active donors and international organisations in Jerusalem.

7. Making use of practical experiences and previous studies at local, regional, and international levels.

4.2 Planning framework

The methodology adopted in developing the SMDP is in line with PNA policies related to strategic and
investment planning for Palestinian Local Government Units4, which is based on concepts and approaches
drawn from “City Development Strategies (CDS)”.5 The manual on strategic development planning for
Palestinian Local Government Units (2008)6 provided guidance for the preparation of the SMDP. The manual
identifies a number of steps that start with the establishment of the planning work team. Following this is the
compilation and analysis of the current status of the relevant local government unit. The process then moves
to the identification of the main strategic issues and their corresponding objectives and indicators. In the next
step the main components of the strategy are proposed up to the formulation of the implementation plan.
Lastly a mechanism for implementation, follow up, and evaluation of the plan is established. However, the
specific context of Jerusalem within the Separation Wall and the lack of official Palestinian presence required
the adaptation and adjustment of this methodology. Accordingly a planning framework that combined
several planning and implementation approaches was developed and endorsed.

4 Draft Policy Note: Strategic Development and Investment Planning (SDIP) for Palestinian Local Government Unit (LGUs), Ministry of Local Government, March
2008.
5 City Development Strategies CDS is an action-oriented process, developed and sustained through participation, to promote equitable growth in cities and their
surrounding regions to improve the quality of life for all citizens. This process was developed by Cities Alliance.
6 Manual on strategic development planning for Palestinian Local Government Units 2008, Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) and GTZ.

14
 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

1. Bifocal planning/ mixed scanning.

This approach involved creating a tight link between medium term phased activities and interventions and
long term vision and objectives. It required consensus and commitment to the realisation of the vision while
identifying intermediate interventions.

2. Negotiation planning.
The absence of an appropriate institutional framework and the multiplicity of active parties and institutions
was taken into account in terms of conflicts of interest among the relevant Palestinian parties. Agreement on
the specific priorities and objectives of the SMDP, the Implementation Plan and funding priorities took place
through workshops and meetings so as to build consensus among stakeholders.

3. Alternative planning.
This approach was related to the identification and formulation of alternative Palestinian plans to counter
Israeli plans.

4. Advocacy planning.
This approach was related to the implementation of several planning activities to expose ongoing Israeli
measures for Judaisation of the city, and to create local and international understanding and support for the
rights of Palestinian Jerusalemites.

4.3 Organisational setting of the SMDP

4.3.1 Policy Committee

A Policy Committee was established comprising 23 individuals with the expertise and capacity to guide the
planning process and ensure the success of the programmes. They consisted of professionals specialised in
the various SMDP sectors and political and active figures from the city of Jerusalem. The Committee primarily
provided overall guidance and supervision at the policy level related to SMDP preparation. Additionally, the
Committee provided feedback at the various planning phases as well as final endorsement of the SMDP.

15
4.3.2 Sector Advisory Groups (SAGs)
A Sector Advisory Group (SAG) was formed for each sector. In consultation with the other Policy Committee
members, the head of each SAG was assigned the task of selecting, five to seven active individuals to
become members of the relevant SAG. The head of each SAG was also responsible for nominating the sector
expert who was to conduct the sector needs assessment. The duties and responsibilities of each of the 11
SAGs included: providing guidance and input regarding the work of its sector expert; and identifying priority
development interventions for the relevant sector.

4.3.3 Jerusalem Unit

A team of experts was hosted in the Jerusalem Unit to provide daily management and coordination of the
planning process and compilation of the SMDP.

4.4 Planning steps

The planning process comprised the eight phases described below.

Preparatory phase (Phase 0): establishing the team of sector experts

A team of 11 sector experts was established with the primary tasks of first compilation and analysis of
information, and secondly translating this information into future programmes and work mechanisms.

Phase 1: Analysis of the overall context

Initially, it was important to identify and analyse the driving forces and parameters that would influence
the future path of development in Jerusalem in the short and long term. This analysis provided the general
framework for the sector planning activities and included the identification and analysis of geopolitical,
economic, legal, social, and environmental contexts, in addition to demographic factors.

Phase 2: Functional mapping and analysis of activities

In cooperation and consultation with the SAGs, sector experts prepared detailed work plans. The detailed
work plans addressed the methods and means of collecting information, and the methods of verification and
analysis of the information in order to review and analyse the situation in each sector. Experts conducted
analysis of the existing situation through the following steps:
1. A rapid assessment of what was achieved in previous studies.
2. Identification and analysis of stakeholders in each sector.
3. Updating the list of active institutions in Jerusalem in each sector.
4. Review of secondary data.
5. Compilation of available maps and plans when appropriate.
6. Primary data collection to collect and verify information.

16
 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

Given the large amount of information, compilation of information depended on existing secondary data.
Data collection initially focussed on key aspects, and was carried out through semi-structured interviews and
focus group discussions with stakeholders and experts from civil society and the private sector.

Phase 3: Identification and prioritisation of major sector issues

Based on the information and data collected, each expert organised a workshop with relevant stakeholders
from the public and private sector and NGOs to conduct a SWOT7 analysis of the sector in order to identify the
main issues that needed to be addressed and short and medium term priorities. Each sector expert submitted
a report, including an analysis of the sector context and the prioritised issues to the appropriate SAG for
review and approval.

Phase 4: Preparation of the draft sector needs assessments

In cooperation and consultation with the appropriate SAG each sector expert developed a draft sector needs
assessment that included specific objectives and indicators that had been agreed under the previous phase.
The heads of each SAG provided feedback and approved the proposed strategies and responses. The Policy
Committee then provided its approval of the draft sector needs assessments.

Phase 5: Preparation of the Investment Plan

In parallel with Phase 4, each sector expert detailed the activities needed to achieve the identified objectives
using the following process:
1. For each sector an executive summary was prepared that included the agreed upon vision, general
objectives, sector objectives and related responses.
2. The executive summary of each sector was provided to Jerusalem based organisations involved in that
sector. A workshop was convened and these organisations were asked to review the vision, general
objectives, and sector objectives and related responses.
3. The organisations participating at the workshop were asked to complete a standard format and submit
project concept papers that addressed the needs of their target groups.
4. In consultation with the SAGs, and according to predefined criteria, the SMDP core team and sector
experts appraised each proposed sector programme and selected and prioritised projects for inclusion
in the SMDP.
5. The SMDP core team then planned the implementation of the selected projects over the three years of
the SMDP to reflect the importance, priority, budget and time frame of each project.

7 A method for identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

17
 Phase 6: Preparation of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework

Based on the aforementioned, the SMDP core team prepared the M&E framework to monitor, evaluate, and
update the Plan.

Phase 7: Preparation of the final SMDP

The SMDP core team prepared the final SMDP.

18
Photo By: Mahmoud Alayyan

5 Current situation
analysis of occupied East
Jerusalem
5. Current situation analysis of occupied East
Jerusalem
5.1 Legal background
Following the occupation of the West Bank in
1967, Israel unilaterally annexed 70.5 square
kilometres of oPt including East Jerusalem
(6.5 square kilometres), which was included
within Jerusalem Municipality8. Israel’s domestic
jurisdiction was extended to East Jerusalem
through the Law and Administration Ordinance
(Amendment No. 11) in 1967. The city’s
unification and its status as the ‘capital of Israel’
were declared through the Basic Law on 30 July
1980. These acts are contrary to international
law. Israel continues to violate international
law, along with United Nations (UN) resolutions Photo By Mahmoud Alayyan
and agreements with Palestinians.

According to international law, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, East Jerusalem represents territory
occupied by Israel in 1967 as a result of war. As such, Israel is obliged to uphold the rights of the residents
of the territory, refrain from attempting to change the status or demography of the territory and provide
appropriate services to the occupied people. In direct violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel’s
unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem and the consistent implementation of policies to alter its ethnic
composition, physical character, borders and legal status, aim to solidify Jerusalem as its ‘united capital’.
Instead of heeding the rights of Palestinians, Israel continues to violate Article 47 of the Fourth Geneva
Convention which stipulates that residents of an occupied territory are to be afforded the rights of the
Convention regardless of changes imposed by the Occupying Power, such as annexation of all or part of the
territory. Israel is in violation of Article 49 (1) of the Geneva Convention and Article 49 (6), which forbids
“individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations”, and the “deport [action] or transfer... [of]
parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” Article 53 of the Convention provides that,
“Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to
private persons ... is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military
operations.” And, Article 147 of the Convention prohibits “extensive destruction and appropriation of
property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.”9

Moreover, Israel is in clear violation of the following: UN Security Council Resolutions 242, 252, 338 and
478, among others; the Hague Convention; the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural
Rights (ICESCR); the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); the Convention for the
Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD); the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); and, the Convention for the Rights of the Child (CRC).

8 The term ‘Jerusalem Municipality’ refers to the Israeli administration.

9 See ICRC Website on the Geneva Conventions of 1949: http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/genevaconventions

20
 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

Additionally, Israel’s policies in East Jerusalem are in breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(ratified by Israel), specifically:
• Denial of equal protection under the law (Article 7).
• Arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile (Article 9).
• Denial of the right to return to one's country (Article 13).
• Arbitrary expropriation of personal property (Article 17).
• Interference with religious worship and observance (Article 18).

Finally, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as the principal judicial organ of the UN, found that, “the
construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated regime, are contrary to international law; Israel is
under an obligation to terminate its breaches of international law; it is under an obligation to cease forthwith
the works of construction of the wall being built in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around
East Jerusalem, to dismantle forthwith the structure therein situated, and to repeal or render ineffective
forthwith all legislative and regulatory acts relating thereto”. In accordance with paragraph 151 of this
Opinion, “Israel is under an obligation to make reparation for all damage caused by the construction…
including in and around East Jerusalem; all States are under an obligation not to recognise the illegal
situation resulting from the construction of the wall and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining
the situation created by such construction; all States party to the Fourth Geneva Convention…have…the
obligation, while respecting the UN Charter and international law, to ensure compliance by Israel with
international humanitarian law as embodied in that Convention.”10

Although not legally binding, the advisory opinion provides an entry point regarding international law in
the case of oPt which has not been implemented. It is viewed as an authoritative statement and should be
taken as a directive for concerted action by the international community which is under the obligation to
safeguard the human rights of people under occupation through ensuring compliance with the fundamentals
of international law. In this respect, any international aid provided to the Palestinian people does not, by
any means, relieve Israel from its legal obligations and should be viewed within the context of international
humanitarian law.

Despite the fact that East Jerusalem was annexed, Palestinian Jerusalemites were granted a collective permit
to remain in the city based on the fragile status of ‘permanent residents’ as opposed to citizens. This has left
Palestinians vulnerable to arbitrary Israeli policies and measures. Furthermore, Israel imposed its legal system
and laws on East Jerusalem thus forcing Jerusalemites to become dependent on the Israeli system, which has
severe negative impacts on their daily lives.

5.2 Political background

The Palestinian position on Jerusalem is that as an integral part of the territory occupied in 1967 and East
Jerusalem is the capital of the future Palestinian state. Based on UN Resolution 242 and international law,
Israel is to withdraw from all occupied territory including East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem is to be demarcated
according to the 1967 borders as it existed prior to the occupation, spanning 6.5 square kilometres, including
the Old City. Jerusalem should be an open city, with movement and access unimpeded. Recognised as central
to the three monotheistic religions, the city should be a place of diversity and peaceful coexistence.

10 See International Court of Justice : Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory –Advisory Opinion
http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?pr=71&code=mwp&p1=3&p2=4&p3=6&case=131&k

21
 The denial of East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian
state would negate Palestinians’ right to self-determination
and would serve to increase their dependence on discriminatory
Israeli policies. These policies undermine Palestinians’ right
to live in the city with dignity and respect with political
independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. These
policies also undermine Palestinians’ right to freedom of
movement, worship, and impeding or preventing access to
religious sites within Jerusalem that are integral to Palestinian
Photo Courtesy of the Civic Coalition
identity and the preservation of Palestinian history.

Since occupation by Israel, Palestinians have maintained an effective boycott of the Israeli political system,
including the Municipality11. The population did not obtain Israeli citizenship, but maintained Jordanian
citizenship, holding permanent resident status in Jerusalem. Since January 1969, Palestinians residing in East
Jerusalem were permitted to vote in the municipal elections of Jerusalem, however, only a minority exercised
this right (three to five percent in the recent elections). Likewise, Palestinians from East Jerusalem did not
stand for election in the Municipality. Palestinian political resistance has been active since 1967 against the
illegitimate Israeli control over East Jerusalem. However, Israeli prohibitions regarding the establishment of
Palestinian national institutions in East Jerusalem, the closure of many NGOs and grass roots organisations
as well as prohibitions and restrictions on the work of Palestinian national bodies that act on behalf of the
Palestinians such as the PLO and the PNA, have weakened, almost to the extent of political paralysis, the
representation of Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Thus, relations with national bodies need to be strengthened.
Since 1967, Palestinians have pursued various strategies including resistance, confrontation, construction
and ultimately, negotiations.

In 1993, the PLO made the decision to pursue Palestinian independence through negotiations. Accordingly
the PLO and Israel signed a number of agreements between 1993 and 1999. These are known collectively as
the “Oslo Agreements”. The status of East Jerusalem was deferred to the permanent status negotiations.
As stated in the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, all of Jerusalem (not
solely East Jerusalem) is subject to permanent status negotiations.12

The fact that the question of Jerusalem was deferred to permanent status negotiations made donors
reluctant to support and finance Palestinian activities in the city in order to avoid any disruption of the
fragile situation of the negotiations. The international community focused instead on strengthening the
PNA which, indirectly, negatively impacted support to East Jerusalem.

Recently, several important political developments have taken place that indicate increased interest in
the situation in East Jerusalem. In August 2009, the Palestinian government launched its two year plan,
‘Palestine: Ending the Occupation Establishing the State 2010-2011’. In its second year plan, ‘Homestretch
to Freedom - The Second Year of the 13th Government Program’ it is stated that:

“The Government will continue to support citizens’ steadfastness and perseverance on their homeland by
working to improve their quality of life, responding pro actively to their social and economic needs. This
commitment applies to the entire homeland on the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip,
without distinction on the grounds of the untenable divisions between the so-called ‘Area A’, ‘Area B’ and ‘Area
C’.13 This is a single political and geographic entity and the sovereign territory of the State of Palestine.“
11 Jerusalem Municipality refers to the Israeli administration.
12 Negotiations Affairs Department: Negotiations and the Peace Process- http://www.nad-plo.org/inner.php?view=nego_nego_f16p.
13 According to the Palestinian-Israeli Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip signed on 28 September 1995, the PNA has responsibility for internal
security and has wide civil powers over Area A, consisting of approximately 17.2% of the Occupied West Bank, divided into 13 separate, non-contiguous areas,
where the majority of the Palestinian population lives. Israeli checkpoints surround each of these areas. The PNA has civil control over Area B, consisting of 23.8%

22
 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

ISRAELI WALL AND SETTLEMENTS AROUND OCCUPIED EAST JERUSALEM

(OCTOBER 2010)
Ramallah KOCHAV
MA'ALE
MIKHMAS
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YA'ACOV
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GIV'AT BINYAMIN
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Al Ram
Al
Jib Bir
Nabala GEVA
BINYAMIN
N.YA'ACOV
Nabi Beit
Samwil Hanina
Hizma
BH
Balad
Beit P.ZE'EV ALMON
Iksa Shuafat ANATOT
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Anata
R.SHLOMO Shuafat RC

R.ESHKOL FR.HILL
E1
Sh. 'Isawiya Plan
Jarrah
Wadi Joz Za'im
Al Q u d s MA'ALE
Tur
OLD

Courtesy of Negotiations Affair Department - Negotiations Support Unit

ADUMIM
CITY

Silwan Azarya
Ras al
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W e s t J.Mukabir
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NOF Sawahra Ar.Jahalin
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EAST
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©©NAD-NSU
NAD-NSU Kh.Juhzum 1:150,000
1967 Boundary Israeli settlement
Israeli Wall route
(“Green Line”) built-up area
Palestinian city Planned settlement Palestinian area
or neighborhood expansion area West / East of the Wall

23
 Internationally, in December 2009, the Council of the European Union issued a statement titled “Council
conclusions on the Middle East Process” in its 2985th Foreign Affairs Council meeting. The statement
included several important conclusions regarding East Jerusalem, including a reconfirmation that the Council
has never recognised the annexation of East Jerusalem and that, “If there is to be a genuine peace, a
way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of two
states.” The statement called for the “reopening of Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem in accordance with
the Roadmap” and for the Israeli government to,” to cease all discriminatory treatment of Palestinians
in East Jerusalem.” Furthermore, the Council reiterated the EU’s, “readiness to contribute substantially to
post-conflict arrangements, aimed at ensuring the sustainability of peace agreements”, and that EU, “will
continue the work undertaken on EU contributions on state-building, regional issues, refugees, security and
Jerusalem.”14

The most recent political development is the resumption of direct negotiations in September 2010.

It remains unclear how the growing interest in East Jerusalem and the resumption of direct negotiations
will affect the future financial support of activities in East Jerusalem. However, it should be noted that the
SMDP supports and is in line with PNA’s plans and the increased international interest in East Jerusalem.
Furthermore, SMDP interventions are in line with the Palestinian position on East Jerusalem under the
permanent status negotiations.

5.3 Demography and geography

East Jerusalem is considered to be an integral part of the Jerusalem Governorate. For the purpose of the
SMDP, East Jerusalem is defined as the area east of the Green Line occupied in 1967 by Israel. It includes both
the area illegally controlled by the Jerusalem Municipality designated as J1 and its immediate surroundings,
or J2, which is under the civil jurisdiction of the PNA (Area B). J1 and J2 are two distinct entities in terms of
status, administration, management of services, taxation and regulatory systems.

The population of East and West Jerusalem is 796,600, of which Palestinians accounted for 35 percent, or
281,800, in 2010.15 According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) in 2009, the Palestinian
population in J1 and J2 was estimated to be 368,394. The Jerusalem Governorate includes two refugee
camps, one internal (Shufat) and one external (Qalandia) to the municipal boundaries, with an approximate
population of 14,600 people. Palestinians under the age of 24 years consist of approximately 54.8 percent
of the population, with 46.7 percent under the age of 19.16 The composition of the Palestinian population in
East Jerusalem raises several issues that need to be taken into consideration. The high percentage of young
people signifies the population growth rate is likely to increase in the future. It also indicates an increasing
number of young people entering the labour market, as well as an increasing demand for housing and public
services.

Overarching Israeli governmental plans and policies in East Jerusalem have remained constant so as to:
maintain a Jewish demographic majority and usurp Palestinian land; while limiting Palestinian population
growth. The declaration of such intentions were stipulated in the Jerusalem Municipality’s Master Plan 2020,

of the West Bank, but overall security control rests with Israel. The PNA has no control over Area C, consisting of 59% of the Occupied West Bank. (From the
Summary of Signed Agreements and Compliance with Signed Agreements- PLO Negotiations Affairs Department- http://www.nad-plo.org/inner.php?view=nego_
nego_nsummeryp).
14 Statement by the EU Foreign Affairs Council in its 2985th meeting , «Conclusions on the Middle East Process» - http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/
docs/pressdata/en/foraff/111829.pdf
15 Population projection of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem district, by Population Characteristics, 2000 – 2020) The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies-Statistical
Yearbook 2009/10 Population: http://jiis.org/.upload/web%20C0509.pdf
16 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Jerusalem Year Book 11, 2009. http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1561.pdf

24
 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

which seeks to secure an absolute Jewish majority in the city by creating a framework to proceed with the
development of the city of Jerusalem as a capital for the Jewish state and a seat for its government. A stated
city population target consists of 70 percent Jews versus 30 percent Palestinians.17

Given their fragile status as residents as opposed to citizens, Israeli Government demographic plans that
aim to minimise Palestinian presence place the Palestinian population under constant threat. In 1995,
Israel introduced the ‘centre of life’ policy. The policy has resulted in the revocation of residency status by
confiscating ID cards from persons who cannot prove that their ‘centre of life’, for the past seven years,
has been in Jerusalem.18 Further displacement and fragmentation of families has taken place due to the
construction of the Separation Wall and the extension of Israel’s jurisdiction such as the 2003 Nationality
and Entry into Israel (Temporary Order) Law, forbidding residents of the oPt to live in Israel with their
spouses.19 This was further exacerbated by the freezing of family reunification applications in 2004.

Geographically, the Palestinian landscape in East Jerusalem has been undergoing drastic transformations.
Israeli urban planning is altering spatial and demographic elements of Jerusalem. According to the Israeli
Planning and Building Law of 1965, approved, detailed urban plans are required for building or almost any
type of alteration. To obtain a building permit, Palestinians are compelled to go through cumbersome and
costly procedures, which usually result in the rejection of their applications. Various Israeli plans which seek
to retain the village model and quell Palestinian growth, have led to perilous consequences. The meagre
13 percent of the 70.5 square kilometres of the Jerusalem municipality area that has been designated for
Palestinians for housing, as opposed to the thirty-five percent of the land has been confiscated for Israeli
settlements, where an estimated 195,000 Israeli settlers reside20, coupled with restrictions that make it
almost impossible to obtain building permits, has forced Palestinians to resort to ‘illegal’ building when
faced with no alternatives. Palestinians live with the constant fear of demolition. In 2008, 93 unlicensed
buildings were demolished.21 A total of 2,000 buildings have been demolished since 1967, with 692
buildings demolished in the period between the beginning of 2000 and April 2009. Demolitions lead to
the displacement of families, loss of primary assets, psychological effects, particularly on children, limited
access to basic services, and severe disruption to daily life, including education.

According to Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 2009 special report, “The Planning
Crisis in East Jerusalem”, whole areas in East Jerusalem are under the threat of comprehensive demolition.
If demolition orders are executed 4,600 people will be affected across East Jerusalem. In addition to
demolitions, a further 500 Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem are under
threat of eviction from their homes.

17 Abdelrazek Adnan, Tofakji Khalil. Israeli Colonial Policies and Practices: De-Arabisation of East Jerusalem. The Arab Studies Society, 2008.
18 B>Tselem – Revocation of Residency in East Jerusalem. http://www.btselem.org/English/Jerusalem/Revocation_of_Residency.asp.
19 Btselem: January 2004, Joint report with HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, Summary – Forbidden Families: Family Unification and Child Registra-
tion in East Jerusalem. http://www.btselem.org/English/Publications/Summaries/200401_Forbidden_Families.asp
20 OCHA Special Focus “The Planning Crisis in East Jerusalem: Understanding the Phenomenon of ‘Illegal’ Construction”. 2009.
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_planning_crisis_east_jerusalem_april_2009_english.pdf
21 Ibid.

25
Photo Courtesy of the Civic Coalition

5.4 Social conditions

The Israeli policies and measures have forced Palestinians in East Jerusalem to depend on the Israeli system of
services which is based on ethno-national affiliation with approximately 8-12 percent of the municipal budget
services allocated to Palestinian Jerusalemites22 who comprise, according to Israeli statistics, 35 percent of the
total population. As such, deliberate and discriminatory actions against the Palestinian population continue
and include, inter alia:
1. Land expropriation;
2. Construction of settlements in and around Jerusalem with recent developments in the Old City and its
environs;
3. Construction of settlement roads and infrastructure;
4. Building restrictions;
5. Destruction and confiscation of homes;
6. Lack of adequate public infrastructure;
7. Prejudicial land and zoning laws and regulations;
8. Severe closures coupled with the erection of the Separation Wall, deviating from the 1949 armistice line,
which facilitates further settlement expansion and severely impacts the daily lives of Palestinians;
9. Lack of consideration for the environment and natural resource degradation;
10. ID card confiscation;
11. Changing residency rights and permits.

All this results in a chronic housing shortage and overcrowding, and constrains access to employment, and
public services like education, in addition to other ramifications.
22 Meir Margalit, Member of Municipal Council of Jerusalem. Palestinian Jerusalemites only received 7.8 percent of the latest 2009 Infrastructure Budget. The Social
Budget has yet to be approved. Interview – June 2009.

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 Strategic
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Life in the settlements and West Jerusalem depict a stark contrast in the quality of the environment and
service provision to that found in East Jerusalem. Common features in these areas, which are predominantly
inhabited by the Jewish population, are well designed and maintained parks, public infrastructure, streets
and overall cleanliness reflecting regular service provision. Conversely, common features in East Jerusalem
include open garbage containers, wild dump sites for solid waste, lower sewerage network coverage and
higher use of cess pits. These differences clearly manifest discriminatory treatment of Palestinians. Some
indicators of these policies are shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Comparison between East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem

Type of service East Jerusalem West Jerusalem

(primarily Palestinian (primarily Jewish Israeli
population) population)
Status of sewage network (km) 67 650
Number of buildings not linked to
2,620 70
sewage network
Status of roads (km) 87 680
Status of pavements (km) 73 700
Number of social care centres 3 20
Number of public parks 45 1,087
Average number of persons per
7,362 477
public park
Number of family health centres
5 32
(motherhood and childhood)
Average number of children per
68,882 1,821
centre

Sixty six percent of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem and 76 percent of Palestinian children (over 49
percent of East Jerusalem residents are children) live below the relative poverty23 line as opposed to 48
percent of Palestinian families and 15 percent of Jewish families throughout Israel.24 Coupled with inadequate
education and employment opportunities, poverty has contributed to the deterioration of Palestinian human
capital, productivity and workforce capacity.

Although most of the population has access to the Israeli social welfare system which covers health costs
and provides social security benefits, attaining these services is difficult. Palestinians are forced to depend
on the Israeli social welfare system since Israel prevented the development of comprehensive Palestinian
alternatives. Moreover, obtaining Israeli services is a way to prove that Jerusalem is the centre of life and to
avoid the revocation of residency.

Meanwhile, the delivery of Palestinian education and health services is characterised by considerable
fragmentation and significant differences in quality between providers. Education services are insufficient.
Lack of space and inadequate infrastructure indicate that all pupils cannot be accommodated. This situation
23 The relative poverty line was calculated by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics based on an expanded basket of consumption including basic needs such as
food, clothing, and housing, in addition to healthcare, education, transportation, personal care, and the needs of a household consisting of six members (parents
and four children). The deep poverty line was calculated by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics based on the basic needs for a household consisting of six
members (parents and four children) and includes food, clothing, and housing.
24 Choshen, Maya, ed., Vital Statistics 2004, Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem, Institute for Israel Studies, 2004, pp. 10, 26.

27
 is further compounded by the poor quality of teaching, the inability to retain qualified teachers, and a weak
educational supporting infrastructure. Challenges in the health sector include: inefficient use of resources;
lack of preventative services as reflected by low immunisation rates; and poor professional capacity of medical
personnel. Public security services are perceived to be oppressive rather than maintaining law and order.
Other Palestinian public services are also problematic. There are inadequate services related to: the treatment
of drug and substance abuse; violence, including domestic violence; elderly care; and special needs.

On the other hand, Palestinian civil society in

Jerusalem has played a vital role in increasing
political awareness and promoting rights.
In addition to contributing to the overall
development of society there are a number
of institutions that focus on social service
provision, raising awareness of civil rights,
providing legal services, and the social
integration of minorities, and the physically
and mentally challenged. Nonetheless,
the majority of Palestinian civil society
organisations in Jerusalem would benefit from
capacity building to develop clear operational
Photo Courtesy of the Civic Coalition
mechanisms, and to improve human resource
and management capabilities. In turn this would enable these organisations to provide better services.

With the imposition of strict closures on Jerusalem and the eruption of the second Intifada (Palestinian
civilian uprising), 33 institutions relocated their headquarters to Ramallah while another 24 institutions
were closed by the Israeli authorities. The economic decline resulting from the second Intifada led to a shift
in focus and priority for the PNA and the donor community from development to humanitarian assistance.
These factors led to a considerable decrease in civil society activity in the city.

5.5 Economic context

As the traditional historical, economic, religious and cultural centre of oPt Jerusalem’s isolation from its
hinterland is contributing to its atrophy with a range of economic consequences. Like all aspects of life in
East Jerusalem the economy is heavily influenced by the overall legal and political situation, especially the
repressive policies and measures imposed by Israel on Palestinian Jerusalemites.

Restrictions on freedom of movement have fissured Palestinian communities, obstructed access to land,
enterprises and employment, as well as increasing dependence for basic social services on Israel and
international aid. Trade and tourism have been harshly impacted as a result of restrictions on movement to
and from East Jerusalem. More than three million Christian and Muslim Palestinians in the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip are denied entry to Jerusalem and its holy sites.25 The UN has specifically identified restrictions
on movement and access as one of the main impediments to economic growth and development.

25 Negotiation Support Unit, 2009. Israeli Policies in Occupied East Jerusalem Brief, Palestine.

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 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
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The Separation Wall disconnects entire communities from what used to be their economic hub and in turn
disrupts the entire Palestinian economy by constricting the flow of income. The Separation Wall has already
cost over one billion US dollars in damages resulting from direct loss of income in real terms for Jerusalemites,
and it is estimated that these costs will continue at a magnitude of USD 194 million per year.26

The economy of East Jerusalem is chiefly reliant on services and tourism. The restrictions on movement and
access imposed by Israel are resulting in a steady decline in its economy. The situation is further exacerbated
by aggressive competition from the Israeli economy which reduces Palestinian market share and increases
Palestinian dependence on the Israeli economy. Banks operating in PNA-controlled areas are reluctant to
extend their credit programmes to Jerusalemites and this renders access to finance very difficult.

A combination of these factors has resulted in a loss of capital for Jerusalem as many businesses were
forced to relocate outside the city, thus further reducing job opportunities and lowering wages. This has
compelled 35 percent of Jerusalemites to work in Israel and the settlements. Of the working age population
in East Jerusalem 39.8 percent is employed (67.2 percent for males/ 12.4 for females). It is therefore clear
that almost the entire Palestinian Jerusalemite labour force is reliant upon the Israeli economy for work. The
declining economic situation in East Jerusalem is causing impoverishment among Palestinian with sixty six
percent of Palestinian families in Jerusalem living under the relative poverty line.

26 Interview with economic analyst, Gil Shier, Alternative Information Centre, June 2009.

29
Photo By: Mahmoud Alayyan

6 Vision, goals, and

specific development
objectives
6 Vision, goals, and specific development objectives
6.1 Vision
The governing Palestinian vision for East Jerusalem is as follows:

“Jerusalem is an Arab and international city with a Palestinian identity. Palestinians take pride in Jerusalem’s
central historical, cultural, religious, and spiritual significance for the three monotheistic religions. Jerusalem
is a vibrant city that contributes to human development and local, Arab, and international civil and cultural
diversity. Jerusalem is an ideal city to live in, work in, and invest in because of its possession of unique and
sustainable economic, social, health, cultural, touristic, and recreational attributes that befit its status as the
capital of the future State of Palestine.”

6.2 Palestinian long term goals

1. Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state.
2. Jerusalem is a spiritual capital given its religious and historical importance.
3. Strengthening the links between Jerusalem and its Palestinian environment.
4. Enhance the socio-economic and living conditions of Palestinians in Jerusalem.
5. Strengthening Palestinian steadfastness in East Jerusalem.

6.3 Overall SMDP objectives

In line with the above Palestinian vision and goals, the SMDP strives to achieve the following overall goals:
1. Improve the living conditions for Palestinian Jerusalemites in the city.
2. Protect Palestinian national institutions operating in Jerusalem, strengthening their role and expanding
their community participation.
3. Revive and develop the Palestinian economy in East Jerusalem.
4. Increase the absorption capacity of Jerusalem so as to accommodate the largest possible number of
Palestinian Jerusalemites.
5. Protect the rights and identity of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

6.4 Challenges and common issues

The SMDP assessed the needs of eleven sectors, grouped into three main clusters, as shown in Table 1. The
sector needs assessments revealed several challenges common to all sectors.

6.4.1 Israeli measures against Palestinians and their institutions in East

Jerusalem
Israeli discriminatory policies and measures infringe on all aspects of day to day life for Palestinians. Institutions
are being closed, houses are being demolished, land is being confiscated, schools are overcrowded, and
infrastructure is neglected. Any attempts at development by Palestinians are confronted and hindered by
tedious Israeli legal and bureaucratic procedures and processes. As a result the need for legal support and
protection has emerged as a common issue for all sectors.

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6.4.2 Limited resources

Almost all sectors lack human and financial resources. The stagnating political process and deteriorating
economic conditions have had negative effects on the availability of and accessibility to sufficient public
funding and private finance. The reluctance of donors and the inability of the PNA to operate in East Jerusalem,
coupled with hesitance on the part of the private sector, including banks, to invest in East Jerusalem, has
limited the financial resources available for development. Many institutions, both private and civil society
organisations, have relocated to PNA controlled areas, leading to a drain of qualified human resources. As a
result, access to finance and the need to encourage investors to put funds into East Jerusalem has emerged
as a common issue for all sectors.

6.4.3 Lack of reliable information

Common to all sectors is a lack of reliable and accurate data. Data about development in Jerusalem is dispersed
among various sources. In many cases even if information is available it is politically manipulated and may
be contradictory. Palestinian institutions face many constraints in collecting and accessing information in
Jerusalem despite efforts by PCBS to provide updated and accurate data. Coordination of data collection and
analysis is a priority for all sectors.

6.4.4 Weak Palestinian institutional and governance structures

The continued closure of Orient House, the de facto representative of the PLO in Jerusalem, has created a
vacuum in an Palestinian official physical presence on the ground. Heavy restrictions are imposed on any
official Palestinian representation in Jerusalem. Any official public initiative or activity is strictly prohibited.
Activists are increasingly harassed, arrested, and threatened with deportation with the aim of suppressing
the emergence of local Palestinian leadership in Jerusalem and hampering community collective action and
mobilisation. In parallel, Israel is systematically targeting Palestinian civil society organisations in Jerusalem
and hindering their work. Additionally, the sector needs assessments revealed deficiencies in Palestinian
institutions as follows: weak governance structures; lack of qualified staff; over-diversification of types of
activities; heavy reliance on external funding; and weak internal coordination. These factors undermine the
consistency, sustainability, and quality of services provided. As such, capacity building, particularly in terms of
institutional building and good governance practices, has emerged as a common issue for all sectors.

6.4.5 Human rights

The SMDP is based on the premise that development and assistance to fulfil human potential are part
of human rights. This is particularly valid for East Jerusalem, which has been under illegal occupation
since 1967. Israel has consistently and systematically ignored the human rights of Palestinians in the city
through deliberately neglecting their needs and rights with violations that infringe on all aspects of daily life.
Safeguarding and protecting the human rights of Jerusalemites is a common theme that underlies all the
proposed interventions of the SMDP.

33
6.4.6 Social equity and gender balance
Social equity and gender balance is another theme that underlies all proposed interventions. Gender inequality
still exists and is manifested in limited access and control of resources, low levels of participation in public
and political life, decision making, and violence against women. Women’s participation in the labour force
is significantly lower than their male counterparts. Women-headed households are among the poorest. The
occupation and the loss of economic security are factors that have led to an increase in domestic violence
against women and children. All SMDP interventions strive to consciously address social equity and gender
issues in a consistent and coherent manner.

34
Photo By: Mahmoud Alayyan

7 Summary of sector studies:

main sector challenges,
objectives, and strategic
responses
7 Summary of sector studies: main sector challenges,
objectives, and strategic responses.
This chapter provides a brief summary of the main challenges confronting each sector, the strategic objectives
and the responses to address them. It should be noted that the strategic responses identified by the SMDP are
in line with the priorities of the PNA’s second year programme of the plan, ‘’Palestine: Ending the Occupation,
Establishing the State (Homestretch to Freedom – the Second Year of the 13th Government Programme’).

Under the social protection and development cluster, the SMDP is in line with the Programme as follows:

“The coming year will also witness a deepening of the Government’s efforts to improve the range and quality
of basic services for citizens of all ages.
• We will proceed with modernization of the education system, in line with a strategic national vision to
prepare future generations with the knowledge, expertise and skills to drive progress and prosperity in
Palestine.
• We will extend health insurance coverage and promote quality improvements in health care services,
including greater specialization such that Palestinians can receive treatment for all ailments in their
home country.
• We will promote arts and culture in Palestine, encouraging individual creativity and innovation as well as
collective engagement in cultural activity and pursuits.
• We will develop better infrastructure, equipment and programs to enable our youth to participate in
organized social and sporting activities.
• We will continue to pursue policies that empower women in Palestine and ensure their full contribution
to the endeavour to build the state. We take seriously our obligation to promote gender equality in
all aspects of public and private life, and we encourage civil society organizations to continue to hold
government accountable on gender equality issues.”

Likewise, and under the economic development cluster, the SMDP is in line with Programme as follows:

“Our work to enable private sector growth, including an extensive program of legal, regulatory and
administrative reform, will continue as part of the effort to achieve greater economic self-reliance.
• We will focus on initiatives to promote growth and exports in the agriculture and tourism sectors,
whilst engaging in longer-term efforts to build the productive base of the national economy in strategic
industrial and service sectors.
• We will work to build closer ties with international trade bodies, markets and businesses in order to
increase exports and strengthen Palestinian businesses.
• We will continue to explore and take advantage of opportunities for partnership between the public and
private sectors, whilst protecting national resources and citizens from exploitative practices. The Anti-
Corruption Agency, consumer protection associations and professional unions will all play a vital role in
safeguarding the national interest.”

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 Strategic
Multi Sector East
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Like the government’s Programme, the SMDP emphasises that human capital is the most precious resource
and reaffirms the PNA’s statement:

“Our human capital is our most precious resource as we move forward to establish the State of Palestine.
The Palestinian people have battled for survival on their homeland for many decades in the face of sustained
attempts to crush their sense of national identity and destroy the very fabric of their society. In remaining
steadfast in their determination, the Palestinian people have confounded the expectations of those who have
bet on their failure to persevere in the face of adversity: our spirit has not been broken and we will never
succumb to defeatism.”

7.1 Social protection and development cluster: main sector findings,

strategic objectives identified and responses
There are five sectors under the Social Protection and Development Cluster:
• Education;
• Youth;
• Health;
• Social Welfare;
• Culture and Heritage.

7.1.1 Education sector

Main issues

There are 72,724 students in East Jerusalem (37,735 female and 34,989 male students) and 197 schools.27
There are four providers of primary education services in Jerusalem: PNA; private sector; the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); and Jerusalem Municipality.
Schools belonging to the private sector represent the largest share (51 schools) and absorb approximately
20,000 students. Fifty schools are funded by the Municipality and absorb over 37,000 students, which is the
largest proportion of students. UNRWA offers education services to refugees and supervises a total of 3,400
students in eight schools. The breakdown is shown in Table (3) 28.

27 Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education: 2nd 5-year plan 2008-2012. http://www.moehe.gov.ps/5year-plan/5yearplan-new.pdf.
28 General Directorate for Educational Planning – Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education – Statistics of Scholastic Year 2008-2009.

37
 Table (3) Number of students in schools according to the supervising party 2008-2009

Service Number of Male Female Co-ed Number of Male Female Number of

provider schools students classes
Islamic
Waqf 38 14 16 8 12,136 4,383 7,753 473
schools
UNRWA
8 3 4 1 3,400 1,071 2,329 102
schools
Private
51 6 10 35 19,748 10,815 8,933 762
schools
Municipality
50 x X X 37,440 x X 1,158
schools
Total 147 72,724 2,495

Jerusalem Municipality controls 205 educational

institutions, including kindergartens, elementary,
secondary and private schools. Fifty eight kindergartens
are run by the Municipality and absorb 1,374 children. The
application of an Israeli curriculum in Municipality schools
has been accompanied by imposition of Zionist, Israeli
ideology on Palestinian students. This has particularly
been the case in the social sciences (i.e. history, geography
and social studies) where new emphasis has been placed
on the Jewish character of the country.

The education system in East Jerusalem is hampered Photo Courtesy of Faisal Al Husseini Foundation
by severe overcrowding. The area available for every
student in most cases is 0.5 square metres and this
results in severe overcrowding. It is estimated that over
9,000 school age children do not attend school and
are outside of an education system. There is a dropout
rate of 10 percent. Several factors contribute towards
this phenomenon including: lack of land available for
Palestinians in East Jerusalem to construct new schools;
restrictions on the construction of new schools and/or
expansion of existing schools; lack of available funding
for education infrastructure projects; and finally Jerusalem
Municipality’s neglect of its obligations under the Law of
Compulsory Education. According to this law, “all children Photo Courtesy of Faisal Al Husseini Foundation
in the age group 5-15 have to enrol in schools and their
education will be free of charge”. As for children in the age group 16-17, their education will be free but not
compulsory; funding for this schooling comes from special fees collected by the National Insurance Institute”.
These factors have diminished enrolment and the quality of education provision in available to Palestinians
in East Jerusalem.

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 Strategic
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Due to the inadequate and insufficient infrastructure available in existing schools, education service providers
are often forced to rent buildings that are primarily residential in nature and therefore not fit to serve as
schools. Out of a total number of 38 schools under the supervision of the PNA Ministry of Education and
Higher Education (MoEHE), only 16 are owned by MoEHE while the rest are rented. The same applies to
private schools that rent and administer 21 out of the 51 schools. UNRWA rents half of its schools

There is a shortage in vocational education centres. There are eight vocational schools. The PNA runs two
schools and the private sector supervises the remaining six schools. The absence of specialised laboratories,
appropriate sanitation facilities, playgrounds, and facilities for students with special needs are further
obstacles to students’ educational growth.

Tables (4) and (5) illustrate the status of education infrastructure and issues related to public safety.

Table (4) Infrastructure in schools and public safety matters (i.e. electricity, water, bathrooms, and lighting)29

Special Bathrooms
Heating
Service Walls around staircase for for students Sewage
Electricity system in
provider school building students with with special system
classes
special needs needs
Yes No Yes No Yes Partial No Yes No Yes No Yes No

Government
/ Islamic 38 0 3 35 25 8 5 5 33 8 30 28 10
Waqf
UNRWA 8 0 0 8 8 0 0 1 7 1 7 5 3
Private 51 0 37 14 49 1 1 6 45 7 44 49 2
Total 97 40 57 82 9 6 12 85 16 81 82 15

Table (5) Provision of science laboratories in schools according to supervising party30

Supervising Number of Fixed tables in Gas and water extensions in

Available laboratories
party schools laboratories laboratories
% of
Number of
schools with Yes No Yes to both Yes to one No to both
laboratories
laboratories

Government
/ Islamic 38 20 52.6% 18 20 18 1 19
Waqf
UNRWA 8 2 25% 4 4 2 2 4
Private
51 26 51% 23 28 20 2 29
schools
Total 97 48 143.1% 45 52 40 5 52

29 General Directorate for Educational Planning – Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education – Statistics of Scholastic Year 2008-2009.
30 General Directorate for Educational Planning – Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education – Statistics of Scholastic Year 2008-2009.

39
 A further major problem in the education system in East Jerusalem relates to the curriculum and the quality
of education. Kindergartens in East Jerusalem lack a unified curriculum and suffer from weak supervision
and follow up. Early childhood, primary and vocational education institutions in East Jerusalem do not
have the equipment necessary to support and improve the quality of education and learning processes.
These institutions lack equipment such as computers, projectors, copiers, and educational aids. Equipment
in vocational education centres is outdated and centres lack sufficient funds to keep up with the latest
developments in their field of specialisation, particularly in terms of rapidly evolving technologies and
professions. The curriculum in vocational education centres require updating and adjustment to better meet
market needs. East Jerusalem vocational education centres lack recognition of their certification in the Israeli
labour market and are confronted with aggressive competition from Israeli vocational centres. They are
further impacted by negative perceptions within the Palestinian community regarding vocational education.

The quality of education is jeopardised further by access

restrictions imposed upon West Bank teachers who
represent 70 percent of teachers in East Jerusalem and
generally have superior qualifications. This situation is
compounded by difficulties in recruiting and retaining
qualified staff which are attributed to recruitment
procedures, salaries, and incentives. Educational
institutions, particularly in non-Municipality run primary
and vocational education establishments, are unable to
provide appropriate continuous training programmes for
their teachers and trainers.
Photo Courtesy of the Civic Coalition
Israeli access restrictions applied to students violate their right to receive a sound education. Checkpoints
and occupation barriers have led to negative repercussions on female students in particular. Fearful families
in turn place restrictions upon girls and young women that impede their access to education and which may
escalate the gender gap.

The poor quality of education has been further exacerbated by weak institutional coordination in the provision
of comprehensive services to students, particularly for children with special needs. Resources are scattered,
thus hampering the possibility of pooling and exchanging expertise. Additionally, the education system in East
Jerusalem needs to develop administration capabilities at all levels and in all types of education, including
the department of education within MoEHE.

Strategic objective

To improve the quality of education and learning in Jerusalem.

Strategic response

Increase the number of classrooms and improve school infrastructure.

This involves maintaining and rehabilitating existing schools, renting and/or purchasing buildings and
undertaking necessary modifications to render them appropriate to serve as schools. It also involves the

40
 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

construction of new schools, and the development and improvement of the physical infrastructure of
educational institutions. This includes sanitation facilities, playgrounds, lighting and ventilation systems,
libraries, access facilities for those with special needs, maintenance of laboratories, areas for recreational
activities, and ensuring safety precautions for students. The strategy will require legal advocacy to address
the need for the Municipality to comply with its obligations as well as to address the limitations placed on
building, construction and expansion.

Strengthen education support structures.

This involves: provision of equipment and furniture; overall human resource development, including training
of staff and continuous education for educational professionals to improve the level of quality provided
to students; development of educational aids and guidelines for teachers maintenance and upgrading of
existing equipment in vocational education institutions; introduction of new technologies and teaching
methodologies; raising awareness about vocational education within schools and in society; introduction
of e-learning, particularly in primary education; development of a curriculum for early childhood education;
provision of counselling services; activation of Parent-Teacher Associations; pooling of resources and expertise
as well as technical facilitation to ensure coordination among educational institutions.

Develop financial and administrative capabilities and systems.

This focuses on building the financial and administrative capabilities of staff of educational institutions through
capacity building, particularly within primary education. It also focuses on the introduction of information
technology (IT) to improve the performance of educational institutions and facilitate the sharing of data,
resources, and expertise. Moreover, it concentrates on developing the planning and supervisory capacities of
MoEHE’s Education Directorate and schools in East Jerusalem through establishing computerised networks
linking them. This also includes training administrative staff in managing and using the computerised system.
Legal and engineering support to the Directorate in planning for the rehabilitation and construction of
existing and new schools shall be provided, as well.

41
7.1.2 Youth sector

Photo Courtesy of Faisal Al Husseini Foundation

Main issues

The political context has had severe impacts on youth. The expansion of settlements and the continuous
stream of new settlers whose rights supersede those of the incumbent Palestinian population have shrunk
the space available for Palestinians to live and work, and been accompanied by confiscation of land and
property and a general feeling of insecurity and uncertainty. These factors, coupled with the fragmentation of
Palestinian families and the nation in general due to the Separation Wall and a multitude of physical barriers
and discriminatory practices, have resulted in a profound identity crisis among young people. This has been
manifested in psychological issues in youth and difficulties in working with them.

Poverty is a critical issue afflicting the Jerusalemite community that has severe implications for children and
the younger generation in the short and long term. The crisis, which is the result of deliberate restrictions
imposed by Israel, is reflected in high rates of poverty and deep poverty in Jerusalem.31 Poor employment
conditions and a lack of education (there is a 10 percent dropout rate from school) have led to high
unemployment rates, social hardship and poverty. The absence of recreational areas and low participation in
existing youth clubs or sports activities has been accompanied and compounded by an increase in the spread
of substance abuse and delinquency. There is an urgent need for community awareness and counselling to
instigate collective awareness and action.

Voluntary work is an activity that provides support to the economy as well as being a pillar of cohesive
societies. However, a 2008 Study by the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), showed that
over the period since 2000 the rate of volunteering among Palestinian young people in youth and sports
institutions decreased by 32 percent. The trend of young people shunning away from voluntary work in
recent years has become a universal phenomenon and needs serious intervention.

31 Community Section: Jerusalem Municipality (2006). Action Plan for the work group on developing the Jerusalemite family. Protocol resulting from workshops with
representatives of a network of local organisations and residents. Report prepared by Riyad Tibi – 1/8/2006.

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 Strategic
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Problems confronting youth in East Jerusalem are compounded by the weak and fragmented institutional
structures of the organisations that serve and work with young people. These organisations have deficient
infrastructure and weak administrative capabilities. Furthermore, more efforts are needed to ensure the
integration of minorities and marginalised groups such as ethnic minorities, women, and young people with
special needs.

Strategic objective 1

Promote and strengthen the Palestinian identity of youth in Jerusalem.

Strategic response

Raise the awareness of young people of their heritage, history, cause and ensure greater
youth participation.

This will be facilitated through working with school and university students in particular and with the community
at large. Community awareness will play an essential role in permitting youth to assume a leading social and
national role. This strategy also involves ensuring greater participation of youth in awareness programmes
and activities, along with reinforcing youth and institutional initiatives. Furthermore, this requires greater
engagement of youth, including youth from marginalised, ethnic backgrounds, in assessing their own needs
and incorporating them into decision making processes as well as in the administration and implementation
of youth programmes.

Strategic objective 2

Improve the quality of services provided to youth to develop their capabilities and optimise
quantitative and qualitative benefits.

Strategic responses

Strengthen the institutions that serve youth and improve their infrastructure, particularly
institutions that serve youth with special needs.

This entails the development of organisational management and the improvement of skills through training
to improve services and support projects. Also, existing infrastructure needs to be brought up to standard and
new venues need to be identified and developed as youth centres.

43
 Support initiatives and institutions that focus on the integration of people with special needs
into the community.

This will take place through the improvement of infrastructure, as well as the institutional and administrative
capacity building of youth organisations and related initiatives.

Strategic objective 3

Alleviate the crisis afflicting youth as a result of the socio-economic and political conditions,
particularly youth from marginalised sectors of society.

Strategic responses

Support programmes facilitating participation of youth from marginalised sectors of society.

The participation of marginalised youth in healthy and productive activities will serve to promote inclusion
and diversity, and to decrease alienation.

Maintain support to institutions that work with youth who are high-risk in terms of drug-use
or delinquency.

This will be facilitated through providing community awareness programmes that provide information on
these issues and serve as a productive outlet for youth. Improvements in the capacity of professionals in the
field of drug-abuse and rehabilitation are required through courses in universities or through specialised civil
society organisations. This also involves strengthening and supporting anti-drug organisations in Jerusalem,
particularly those working with youth.

Activate career advice centres that facilitate graduate entry into the labour market

Students need vocational counselling to assist them in selecting the appropriate field of study and to
facilitate their incorporation into the labour market. This strategy involves supporting centres that provide
career advice and that equip students with skills or that support small-scale youth initiatives and projects.
It links with objective four of the Economic Sector in terms of developing an entrepreneurial spirit among
Palestinians in Jerusalem with a special focus on youth.

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7.1.3 Health sector

Photo By Mahmoud Alayyan

Main issues

There are five health care providers in East Jerusalem.

1. Israeli Sick Funds. These are the major health care providers for Palestinians in East Jerusalem. The Sick
Funds have negotiated contracts with the private health sector and NGOs for specific primary health care
(PHC) services and with some East Jerusalem hospitals for secondary care services.
2. UNRWA. UNWRA is mandated to serve the refugee population. It operates two clinics in J1 and one
clinic in J2 with a referral system to East Jerusalem hospitals. UNRWA is the only organisation that
provides relatively comprehensive PHC to refugees living in East Jerusalem.
3. NGO sector. This provides local PHC services.
4. Charitable societies. These provide specialised hospital and rehabilitation services as well as mental
health care.
5. Private sector. This consists of private clinics, laboratories, pharmacies and small maternity hospitals.

There is a diversity of providers with mostly curative rather than preventive services. There is a lack of
specialised and diagnostic services or a comprehensive, integrated, primary, secondary and tertiary system.
The various providers require coordination and cooperation.

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 Emergency and ambulance services are supplied by two providers and are deficient.
1. Israeli Magen David Adom. This organisation refuses to operate in some areas of East Jerusalem claiming
security concerns.
2. Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) which started its emergency services in 2006 and has only nine
ambulances, twenty emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and thirty volunteers.

Overall, 90.2 percent of Jerusalemites were covered by health insurance in 2005 with 98 percent in J1 and
77.1 percent in J2. Based on the mentioned percentages, 63.9 percent are covered by the Israeli government
health insurance (Kupat Holim) and 24.8 percent by the Palestinian government health insurance.

The health sector in East Jerusalem is affected by the expropriation and closure of hospitals, and by attacks
against hospitals which put staff and patients on a high state of alert. As with other areas of construction
there are major impediments regarding the development and expansion of hospitals.

There is a lack of comprehensive services related to mental health care and primary health care. There is
extreme discrepancy regarding rehabilitation services provided by Israel for Palestinians in East Jerusalem
versus those available to the Jewish population. Most centres contracted by the Israeli Sick Funds provide
curative services with minimal preventive services. Health information management systems require
improvement.

Continuous education for health professionals is poor and many qualified health professionals are drawn to
Israeli or private facilities. The situation is exacerbated by: strict Israeli Ministry of Health licensing requirements
for nurses and physicians; financial pressure from Jerusalem Municipality property tax (Arnona) which may
cripple hospitals; and access restrictions imposed on staff and patients from the oPt. Access restrictions have
dire repercussions on the provision of health services and the health of individuals that cannot attain the
specialised services offered in Jerusalem.

Strategic objective 1

To create a health care system model in East Jerusalem.

Strategic response

Establish a sustainable model: the East Jerusalem Clinic Network (EJCN).

The EJCN will work in coordination with the already existing East Jerusalem Hospital Network and other
health service organisations. The EJCN will be a non-profit clinic network established to meet community
needs. It will provide competitive, high quality, health services to all Palestinians in Jerusalem through the
establishment of a series of clinics and centres. These will be distributed throughout East Jerusalem according
to population density and special care needs. The proposed ECJN will be a subcontractor of all Israeli Sick
Funds.

The ECJN will provide a mechanism for coordinating primary, secondary and tertiary care systems in East
Jerusalem and under the ECJN clinics will provide the following standard services which are a combination
of primary, secondary and urgent care services:

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• Maternal child health;

• General primary care curative services;
• General basic diagnostic services;
• Urgent care and emergency care;
• Preventive services;
• Mental health and counselling;
• Geriatric services;
• 24-hour ambulance service.

In addition to emergency and biomedical curative services, the system will integrate an effective mental
health and counselling programme and a community prevention and promotion programme. This will serve to
establish neighbourhood health centres as wellness centres, facilitating greater proximity to the community
rather than setting-up traditional clinics that deal solely with disease-related conditions.

Most levels of care will be sub-contracted initially through negotiations with the Sick Funds. Referral to the
tertiary care level will be maintained, with the inclusion of East Jerusalem hospitals as an initial referral
network, while preserving the right of patient choice.

Hospital standards of qualification, training and licensing will be implemented uniformly and in accordance
with the highest possible standards. A thorough and stringent human resource development plan will be
implemented throughout the system. A community professional board will be established for this city-based
health network and will serve as a governance structure for the executive branch in hospitals and clinic
networks.

The model for health in East Jerusalem will be based on preserving the advantages of the current system,
utilising the current financing and regulatory mechanisms, and introducing an element of positive competition
for contracts and services. It will be sustainable under the current situation in East Jerusalem, as well as under
a future two-state, two-capital political scenario. It will utilise and strengthen the capacity of Palestinian
hospitals, NGOs and private health institutions in East Jerusalem and will create a more cost-effective system
in the strained economic environment of the city. Finally, it will result in improved and comprehensive primary
and preventive health care.

Strategic objective 2

To improve the existing health service institutions (primary, secondary, tertiary).

Strategic response

Improvements of the efficiency and effectiveness of existing health service institutions

(primary, secondary, tertiary).

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 Improvements entail the following:
• Human resource development and improved cooperation between secondary and tertiary health service
institutions.
• Improved quality of primary health care by strengthening health care providers.
• Enhanced quality of secondary and tertiary care by improving hospitals’ operational efficiency and
supporting medical specialty programmes.
• Development of education for health care professionals, especially nurses and physicians in the following
priority areas: family medicine; oncology; treatment of burns, kidney dialysis, critical care; paediatric
neurosurgery; respiratory therapy; pathology; palliative nursing care; and midwifery.
• Promotion of cooperation among health service providers and development of a health management
information system in primary and secondary health institutions.
• Development of emergency services.
• Promotion of mental health services in East Jerusalem.
• Promotion of environmental health to improve the sanitation conditions.
• Create Arab Sick Funds to cover individuals who are denied the right to health services or lack insurance
coverage (10 – 15 percent of Palestinians living in Jerusalem).
• Increased cost-effectiveness of hospital services, ensuring their continued operations and promote their
cooperation with Palestinian Hospitals Coalition.

7.1.4 Social welfare sector

Main issues

The percentage of Palestinian families living under the relative poverty line in Jerusalem in 2007 reached
66.8 percent compared with 23.3 percent of the Jewish families in the city. Furthermore, the percentage
of Palestinian children under the poverty line in the same year reached 74 percent compared with 47.7
percent of the Jewish children in the city. These relatively high levels of poverty are attributed to a number of
interrelated internal and external factors. Some are linked to the recent historical and political developments
in the city, particularly since 1967, while others are related to internal structural weaknesses of Palestinian
society

Although Palestinian tax payers contribute over 33 percent of Jerusalem Municipality’s budget they receive
only, approximately 10 percent back in services provided to them, reflecting extensive discrimination in
Municipality budget distribution. Nonetheless, Jerusalemites are bound to these payments as it is the only
way to prove their centre of life in the city, in accordance with the laws of Israel. Inadequate service provision
is manifested throughout all public services and further evidenced in differences in garbage collection and
the general condition of infrastructure between the west and east of Jerusalem.

The fundamental reason underlying the neglect of Palestinian welfare by Israel is that the state of Israel is
not a legitimate representative of the Palestinian people: there are intrinsic tensions due to the unequal
relationship of Israel as an occupier exercising control over the Palestinians as an occupied population. The
result is that social welfare service provision by Israel is deficient in quantity, quality and comprehensiveness.
The responsible Israeli institutions lack sensitivity towards Palestinians, their language and culture. This is
compounded by deliberately lengthy and bureaucratic procedures. The situation is exacerbated further by
limited financial resources and knowledge about the sector, lack of information regarding the need for
services and an absence of clear procedures.

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Civil society organisations on the ground have been inefficient in service provision and are characterised by
poor international advocacy strategies.

Strategic objective

Improve the access of individuals and marginalised groups to responsive, qualitative and
sustainable social services.

Strategic responses

Develop an information base for social

welfare needs and available services in
East Jerusalem.

This entails conducting in-depth assessments

of social welfare programmes and activities of
Jerusalem-based organisations compared to the
population’s needs. Based on the assessment,
customised and new interventions will be
developed. In addition, information about the size
and sources of support used in programmes and
activities of social welfare service providers will
be investigated. Photo By Mahmoud Alayyan

Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of existing Palestinian institutions that provide social
welfare services in East Jerusalem.

This involves empowerment and capacity building programmes for institutions and voluntary groups to improve
their efficiency and effectiveness. It also involves improving the infrastructure of Palestinian institutions that
provide social welfare services to people with special needs, psycho-social support for children, as well as
institutions that focus on reducing gender based violence in Jerusalem.

Expand the diversity and scope of social services provided by Palestinian institutions.

Currently, Palestinian institutions are unable to provide adequate services as a result of poor efficiency,
lack of specialised staff and the inability to provide different services. For example, although Palestinian
institutions provide mental health services and treatment and rehabilitation services to drug addicts, they
do not provide assistance to the poor or the elderly with regard to unemployment allocations or old age
pensions. This strategy involves empowerment and capacity building of institutions to expand and diversify
their social services.

This may include overall job creation programmes as well as empowerment and capacity-building of
institution staff. Given the inability to match the type of social welfare provided by Israeli institutions to the
Jewish citizens, there is a need to provide legal assistance to enable Jerusalemites to claim their rights. This
is addressed later under the citizenship/human rights strategic responses.

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7.1.5 Culture and heritage sector

Photo By: Creative Ad.

Main issues

Jerusalem was the main cultural centre of oPt until the 1993 closure of the city with checkpoints and,
subsequently, the Separation Wall. Growing Israeli oppression against cultural activities in Jerusalem, such
as the recent prohibition of the ‘Jerusalem the Capital of Arab Culture’ festival, sheds light on the difficulties
confronting the sector. Cultural activities are increasingly assumed by centres in Ramallah due to the weak
cultural infrastructure in Jerusalem. Ramallah, a city with a population that does not exceed one-tenth of the
population of Jerusalem, has stronger cultural infrastructure than Jerusalem. This situation is reflected in the
limited availability of active cultural centres. There is an absence of a comprehensive cultural centre that is
capable of fulfilling the cultural needs and of contributing to the formation of the identity of the city.

Some of the cultural resources that are available, although limited in scope, include a number of museums
in the city. However, there is an absence of a museum culture. With the exception of Dar a-Tifl al-Arabi
Museum and the Islamic Museum in al-Haram mosque, which are both not regularly open to visitors and lack
certain capacities, other museums negate a Palestinian perspective in the presentation and understanding
of history.

The city lacks a central national library. The Municipal Library is administrated by the Jerusalem Municipality
and it does not offer important books on Palestinian history and the plight of the Palestinian cause regarding
the people’s connection to their homeland. This library has primarily been used for entertainment purposes.

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The rest of the libraries in the city are either under foreign ownership, small and weak in terms of capacity
or too specialised (i.e. focusing on theology and archaeology). Examples of specialised libraries, either public
or semi-public, include the British, German, American and Dominican libraries of archaeology schools. Unless
arranged in advance, these are not open to the public. The al-Aqsa Mosque library and the PASSIA library
are also specialised and incapable of offering services to the general public. There is one private library, the
Fahmi al-Ansari library, that serves school pupils and university students. Libraries generally lack programmes
to encourage reading, particularly among the younger generation.

Conversely, Israel has moved swiftly and created an Israeli cultural and heritage narrative, particularly in
the Old City and Silwan. Attempts to renovate the Old City and maintain its Arab character by Palestinian
organisations have been met with rejections from Jerusalem Municipality and the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Meanwhile, one of the major challenges that the culture sector faces is the feasibility of integrating the
cultural activities of Jerusalem into the national plans of the PNA Ministry of Culture and, the Ministry of
Tourism and Antiquities. This entails ensuring that Jerusalem is not excluded from PNA national plans. The
process of integration requires the specific characteristics of the city be taken into account. Coordination and
integration activities should include the National Commission for Education, Culture and Sciences, thereby
bestowing a sense of belonging to a comprehensive national plan among professionals in the cultural field
in Jerusalem. This will also instigate the sense that the Separation Wall will not create an isolated culture in
Jerusalem, but that a general, national culture embracing the entire oPt will remain intact and grow.

Additional challenges confronting the sector include: discriminatory laws and measures; lack of a cultural
vision and implementation modalities; poor infrastructure and the need for investment; the absence of
comprehensive coordination backed up by appropriate budgets; restricted accessibility; lack of diversity and
isolation; and, the deterioration experienced by the sector as a result of the demise of Palestinian Jerusalemite
identity.

Strategic objective 1

Protecting and preserving the cultural heritage of East Jerusalem.

Strategic response

Develop the work of institutions that are active in the field of protection and renovation of
architectural and cultural heritage in the city.

Architectural and cultural heritage institutions currently assume the role of the state with regards to protection
and the renovation of archaeological heritage. Their role is imperative in maintaining the Arab heritage of
the city which is integral to confronting attempts at identity assimilation and the eradication of Palestinian
culture and heritage.

Strategic objective 2

Strengthening cultural infrastructure in East Jerusalem.

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 Strategic responses

Develop existing cultural centres.

A number of public cultural centres that are specialised in artistic performance and fine arts are found in
Jerusalem. These centres need to develop their work, update their programmes and expand their audience.

Develop the work of museums and libraries.

Most museums need to be expanded and require appropriate infrastructure. Additionally, they need experts
and appropriate modes of presentation. It is important that museums play a central role in presenting
an Arab, Palestinian narrative in order to contribute to the formation of identity. The establishment of a
Jerusalem museum network is necessary for to realise the required improvement and sustainability.

Libraries need to cater to the general public and provide books and information on Palestinian-related
subjects. They should offer programmes that encourage reading, particularly targeting youth. The potential
of the large number of libraries could be harnessed through the establishment of a network of Palestinian-
focussed Jerusalem libraries as well as the establishment of a central national library.

Network among institutions that specialise in the same field, develop work mechanisms and
ensure their integration.

The scope, activities and positive impacts of cultural institutions will increase by developing mechanisms of
integration and coordination. This will serve to minimise dispersed and individual endeavours.

Strategic objective 3

Improving accessibility to culture and increasing the scope of cultural activities in East
Jerusalem.

Strategic responses

Establish cultural centres in the peripheries of East Jerusalem.

The extension of cultural activities to areas on the outskirts of Jerusalem is important for Palestinian
identity, connection and celebration of the city. Thus, the number of cultural centres should be increased and
established in neighbourhoods such as Bet Hanina, Sour Baher and Bet Safafa. Cultural activities should not
be limited to large cultural centres in the centre of the city.

Create a new generation of artists and creative people.

The new generation of creative people in various cultural fields should be offered opportunities to study
as well as outlets for creative expression. This will be accomplished through establishing cultural clubs,
organising cultural camps and promoting cultural exchange internationally.

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7.2 Economic development cluster

There are three sectors under the Economic Development Cluster:
• Economic;
• Tourism;
• Housing.

7.2.1 Economic sector

Main issues

The Palestinian economy in East Jerusalem has a narrow base, comprised of tourism, retail sales and small
workshops. Labour in Israel consists of the main source of income for an estimated 35 percent of the
labour force in East Jerusalem. Data indicates a decline in the majority of economic activities as well as in
private investment, in addition to significant dependence on Israel in terms of trade, employment and income
generation. The city also suffers from discriminatory Israeli policies in relation to the deterioration of public
services and basic facilities available to Palestinian residents in Jerusalem and due to the restrictions imposed
on Palestinians regarding building construction and expansion.

As in other sectors, factors that have contributed to socio-economic decline include obstacles to economic
improvement by the Israeli authorities. Conditions deteriorated after 2000, following the eruption of the
Second Intifada and the escalation of oppressive Israeli measures. Jerusalemites are burdened by tax policies
that target commercial activities and which result in the accumulation of debt. Closures and the isolation of
the city have led increased dependence on Israel for trade, employment and income generation to significant
levels.

The situation is further exacerbated by the limited opportunities, resources and financing institutions
available to finance commercial and real estate activities and to provide loans to individuals and economic
enterprises. There is also a general shortage of business services and infrastructure facilities, with a high cost
for such services. This combines to reduce the competitiveness of Palestinian manufactured products. Variable
service quality and reliability add to the difficulties experienced by commercial and industrial enterprises in
Jerusalem.

Additional challenges confronting the economic sector include: a poor investment climate, with minimal
investment and capital leakage to PNA-controlled areas or abroad; poor coordination among the various
sectors, specifically tourism, education, economy and finance; and the loss of workers coming from the West
Bank. The combination of all these factors has led to the demise of Jerusalem’s advantageous position as the
chief economic centre for Palestinians.

Strategic objective 1

To improve business development services in East Jerusalem.

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 Strategic responses

Provide technical and financial assistance to

organisations and NGOs that support private
sector development in East Jerusalem.

These include:
• The Chamber of Commerce, the Palestinian-
European Chamber of Commerce and the
Palestinian-German Chamber of Commerce.
• NGOs and international organisations.
• The Islamic Waqf.
• Local universities.
• Churches and religious institutions.
Photo by George Azzar - Courtesy of UNDP
• Industrial and commercial associations.

Establish a comprehensive database on the economic sector in East Jerusalem.

A key step in improving competitive capacity lies in providing a database on investment activities. This will
provide investors with information regarding investment opportunities and the feasibility of products in
potential markets. It will be necessary to gather information from surveys about markets in J1 to facilitate
understanding of market needs. There is also a need to provide data on the size of facilities, deposits and
other information pertaining to the residents of Jerusalem, in order to assess business services provided to
manufacturers. This could be achieved in cooperation with PCBS.

Strategic objective 2

To improve the competitive capacity of manufacturers

Strategic responses

Provide technical assistance and logistic support to private sector institutions.

Due to the forced absence of Palestinian government institutions, support services and logistic support are
urgently needed. This should be provided through NGOs, international organisations, Palestinian semi-official
institutions and religious institutions which can support economic growth in private sector enterprises.
Support would include businesses development services, including consultation and logistics.

Market information would be provided, along with training, and require establishing technical and vocational
training centres providing high quality IT, administration, and marketing programmes. This would help to
facilitate employment opportunities for youth and support economic development. Related to this, a training
needs survey should be conducted among commercial and industrial enterprises.

In addition, there is a need to guarantee loans offered to the residents and institutions of Jerusalem by
financial institutions operating in oPt. Banks in oPt should be encouraged to expand their activities and offer
credit facilities.

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Strategic objective 3

To expand the market share for Jerusalemite manufacturers and merchants.

Strategic responses

Providing financing with relatively soft conditions accompanied by technical assistance.

This will be implemented through expanding the activities of existing micro-finance institutions. The role of
the lending institutions operating in Jerusalem needs to be reinforced and their efforts require coordination.
This will be accomplished by assisting them in developing credit awareness, providing practical means to solve
bad debts, and providing necessary funding for micro-project support funds. Training to businessmen and
entrepreneurs should accompany lending schemes to upgrade the marketing and administrative capacities
of enterprises. Establishing business incubators in order to encourage IT entrepreneurs is needed and the
Palestine Information and Communications Technology Incubator (PICTI), one of the leading institutions in
this field, should be relied upon.

Network between various economic sectors (i.e. manufacturing, trade, services).

Networking will be conducted through organising campaigns to encourage businesses to participate in

local exhibitions, fairs and conferences. These will also serve to facilitate meetings between merchants and
officials in the PNA and other support institutions, such as chambers of commerce, industrial unions and the
Palestinian Trade Centre.

Enhance regional and international economic networking.

Embassies, representative offices and Palestinian communities abroad should be encouraged to support and
market Jerusalem as a tourist and commercial attraction and organise media and promotional campaigns.

In order to widen the network of local merchants and manufacturers to include institutions operating in
regional and international markets, there is a need to facilitate and finance the participation of Jerusalemite
businesses in external activities. This will contribute to marketing local products to external markets.

Strategic objective 4

To develop the entrepreneurial spirit among Palestinian Jerusalemites, especially among

youth.

Strategic response

As per the first strategic response under Strategic Objective 2.

55
7.2.2 Tourism sector

Photo by: Creative Ad.

Main issues

Home to the three monotheistic religions, filled with religious shrines and archaeological treasures, Jerusalem
attracts visitors from across the globe. Tourism, with most activities undertaken by family-run businesses, is
East Jerusalem’s economic mainstay. It generates substantial employment and income opportunities. Nearly
half of the Palestine tourism sector’s hotels, the majority of the tourism infrastructure, principal stakeholders,
tour operators, tour buses, and guides, are based in the city. However, the tourism industry in East Jerusalem
is relatively small, especially in comparison to its Israeli competitors in West Jerusalem.

While East Jerusalem remains the base for the majority of Palestinian direct tourism service providers, tourism
development in East Jerusalem has been stagnant for decades. This is primarily due to the ongoing Israeli
occupation and Israel’s harsh licensing procedures, policies and regulations. Tourism in East Jerusalem has
traditionally relied on the domestic and international Christian pilgrimage market which is seasonal with
peak periods between March and April, and September and November. However, under the repressive Israeli
panoply of regulations tourism in East Jerusalem has been marginalised and limited to the main religious
sites and attractions in East Jerusalem.

East Jerusalem has approximately forty hotels with 2,000 rooms, however almost 700 rooms are closed
due to poor conditions. There is an urgent need to upgrade and develop tourism infrastructure in East
Jerusalem, including increasing the number of hotel rooms and developing support facilities and services
such as restaurants, cafes and theatres. In order to support a viable tourism industry and product this
infrastructure must be maintained and further developed. East Jerusalemites face intense difficulties, under
the Israeli planning and licensing regime, in constructing and modifying buildings. East Jerusalem’s tourism

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infrastructure and services are in poor condition as a result. This contrasts with the facilitative business
environment found in West Jerusalem where tourism infrastructure is well developed and updated. East
Jerusalem consequently receives a disproportionately small proportion amount of the revenue generated by
the considerable numbers of foreign visitors to the city since they stay, eat and travel predominately with
West Jerusalem enterprises.

Furthermore, East Jerusalem has relied on and benefited from domestic tourism in the form of visitors from
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip who, in addition to religious reasons, travelled to the city for business,
educational purposes and school trips, to visit friends and relatives, and for health treatment. However, East
Jerusalem has been unable to capitalise on its domestic tourism market since the year 2000 as a result of the
Israeli closures and movement restrictions. As a consequence the domestic market has almost disappeared.

A further challenge to the sector in East Jerusalem is incoherent marketing strategies. Areas of tourism
concentration in East Jerusalem are designated by the Jerusalem Municipality as grade “A” areas. Enterprises
located in them are subject to high taxes but receive minimal services in return and the neglect of these areas
is immediately visible as well as posing fundamental and less easy to see challenges for tourism operators.

As described in the Economic Sector, enterprises in East Jerusalem face an environment that is not business
friendly with minimal access to finance and credit facilities; human and financial capital leakage; restrictions
on access and mobility that affect domestic visitors and workers alike; the high cost of land; and a weak
private sector institutional support network.

Despite these undoubted challenges there is strong potential for the tourism sector in East Jerusalem and it
could capture more of the market share by diversifying its offer and providing visitors with a more authentic
visit.

Strategic objective 1

Improve East Jerusalem’s competitiveness in the sector.

Strategic responses

Improve the quality of tourism products and services.

The level of comfort, service quality, and innovation of the sector needs to be upgraded. The workforce would
benefit from training and increased specialisation. Management and staff of hotels and restaurants, guides
and tour operators would be particularly targeted. There needs to be increased cooperation and coordination
between educational institutions (i.e. supply) and the sector stakeholders (i.e. demand). Training courses
need to have better designed and more appropriate curricula that cover relevant areas of specialisation so as
to facilitate the smooth and swift absorption of graduates into the sector workforce. Competitive packages
need to be developed to prevent the leakage of Palestinian graduates and professionals to Israel due to
better salaries and stability.

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 Develop and market authentic, innovative and diversified tourism products and services.

The diversification of tourism packages and the introduction of more authentic venues for tourists will
significantly increase East Jerusalem’s share of the market. Available resources should be exploited such
as historical sites and buildings, Sufi shrines, and Crusade and Mameluk structures. Developing and
rehabilitating Old City sites and markets should be prioritised. Cultural events and experiences should be
integrated into tourism packages, including an appreciation of Jerusalem as a space of living history where
one can interact with Palestinians, and experience Palestinian culture, food, music and art. Cultural events
should be supported, maintained and promoted to the domestic and foreign market.

Develop and upgrade the tourism infrastructure in East Jerusalem.

This includes: developing a medium to long term Master Plan for Tourism Development in East Jerusalem;
increasing the number of rooms and accommodation facilities; increasing and diversifying tourism facilities,
including support infrastructure, such as cultural centres, arts and crafts centres, restaurants and museums;
and upgrading and expanding the tourist transport fleet.

Private sector support and institution building.

This will entail a number of issues being addressed. The private sector will be expected to take an active role
in the Palestine Tourism Board (PTB), a public/private partnership that will be responsible for leading the
marketing and promotional efforts of oPt as a tourism destination. A special unit should be established for
tourism development and promotion in East Jerusalem under the PTB. There should be institutional support
and capacity building for private sector associations to provide a protective umbrella for their members’
rights and to develop their respective subsectors and the tourism sector. It will be important to provide legal
and advocacy support through establishing an office or contracting a specialised firm that will assist with
investment, licensing and Municipality issues. Training and human resource development, as described above
under strategic response “Improve quality of tourism products and services” should be carried out. Tourism
related associations should receive support in registration and organisational development. There should be
improved access to finance and credit facilities.

Strategic objective 2:

Advocate and actively pursue a favourable and sustainable environment for socially responsible
profitable businesses, and encourage a fully engaged industry and society.

Strategic responses

Minimise leakage along the tourism value chain.

To fully measure the value of tourism it is important to understand where and when tourists make expenditure.
This spending has a ripple effect on numerous other sectors and industries, such as suppliers of furniture
and textiles for hotels, engineers, and contractors. The Jerusalem Tourism Cluster Initiative would assist this
by creating a centralised databank of Palestinian suppliers to tourism and related enterprises and enable
improved business networking and recording of tourism-related spending along the tourism value chain. The

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objective of the Initiative is to facilitate trade and business-to-business dealings between suppliers along the
chain. Priority would be given to East Jerusalem based suppliers or those in the West Bank.

Investment promotion

A mechanism needs to be established to promote investment in the tourism sector. This could be accomplished
through the following measures: stronger coordination with trade and investment promotion agencies such
as the Palestinian Investment Promotion Agency (PIPA) and the Palestine Trade Centre (PalTrade); planning
and organising investment conferences which facilitate networking for Jerusalemites seeking investment
from local, regional and international investors; and establishing an online platform to provide information
and list investment opportunities in the city.

7.2.3 Housing sector

Main issues

Jerusalemites are undergoing a severe housing crisis. The housing density in Palestinian neighbourhoods is
twice that of the Israeli neighbourhoods. Israeli authorities have implemented restrictive policies that limit
the development of Palestinian neighbourhoods. Although the Palestinian population constitutes 35 percent
of the total population of Jerusalem (49.1 thousand families), Palestinian housing units account for less
than 20 percent (37.5 thousand units) of the total existing housing units. Table (5) shows the breakdown of
families in Jerusalem according to population density and national affiliation for the period 1986- 2007.

Table (6) Families in Jerusalem according to population density and national affiliation 1986-200732

Number Persons per room (results in percent) Average

Year Population group of families persons per
(thousands) Up to 1 1-3 3+ room
1986 Israeli-Jews 92.2 58.0 40.5 1.5 1.1
Palestinians 23.0 21.0 46.4 32.6 2.2
1988 Israeli-Jews 97.0 57.8 40.5 1.7 1.1
Palestinians 21.7 27.3 39.0 33.7 2.1
1990 Israeli-Jews 101.2 58.3 39.5 2.2 1.1
Palestinians 23.6 20.2 42.5 37.2 2.3
1993 Israeli-Jews 114.3 59.7 37.6 2.7 1.1
Palestinians 28.2 19.5 47.9 32.2 2.2
1995 Israeli-Jews 119.7 61.4 36.2 2.4 1.1
Palestinians 30.9 20.3 51.9 27.8 2.2
2001 Israeli-Jews 130.5 70.4 27.3 2.3 1.0
Palestinians 36.6 19.3 64.5 16.2 1.9
2003 Israeli-Jews 127.8 68.6 29.3 2.1 1.0
Palestinians 41.0 22.4 60.1 17.5 1.8

32 Israel Annual Statistical Book – Jerusalem, 2008.

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 Number Persons per room (results in percent) Average
Year Population group of families persons per
(thousands) Up to 1 1-3 3+ room
2006 Israeli-Jews 138.0 72.0 26.4 1.6 1.0
Palestinians 45.6 18.9 60.0 21.1 1.9
2007 Israeli-Jews 138.6 71.8 26.4 1.8 1.0
Palestinians 49.1 19.3 58.0 22.7 2.0

The intentional absence of structural plans for Palestinian neighbourhoods by Jerusalem Municipality has
led to severe restrictions being placed by Israel on Palestinian’s ability to secure permits to build, expand or
even make small changes to their homes, and a concomitant increase in the phenomenon of constructing
units without such permits. On the other hand, Israeli authorities have developed Jewish neighbourhoods
and settlements on Palestinian land confiscated since 1967.

Discriminatory Israeli laws and urban planning projects are among the principal challenges confronting the
housing sector. Additionally, Palestinians face: land and house confiscation; house demolition; difficulty in
demonstrating land ownership and registration, and in achieving recognised status under the Israeli legal
system; difficulty in raising the necessary funds due to their weak financial resources compared to the high
costs of building and land, and the reluctance of banks to extend loans and financial services to Palestinian
investors and businesses in East Jerusalem; scarce land availability for residential development by Palestinians
and the lack of a comprehensive plan that takes their needs into account.

The housing situation inside the Old City of Jerusalem is one of the biggest challenges in the sector. At least
20.5 percent of the houses inside the Old City are not fit for human habitation and are in need of total
renovation. This proportion has been calculated on the basis of measuring and assessing key indicators
including: humidity; lighting; ventilation; and the provision of basic facilities such as a bathroom, kitchen and
sewage system. Moreover, a further 30 percent of houses need repair, whether internally or externally, and
a further 11.4 percent need extensions or new rooms. Only 18.1 percent of the housing stock is currently in
good condition. Additionally, the architectural heritage in the Old City must be preserved and renovated to
maintain the Arab identity of the city.

Strategic objective 1

Improve the condition of existing housing.

Strategic response

Rehabilitate and renovate deteriorated buildings and residential units, especially in the Old
City.

This strategy includes the rehabilitation of residential buildings, in accordance with international rules and
regulations, to improve the housing and living conditions of Palestinians in Jerusalem. It is important to
focus on retaining the Arab character of Jerusalem, particularly in the Old City. Families who are affected by

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the housing crisis should receive support and loans,

especially in the Old City. This should take place
through associations, such as cooperatives and the
Welfare and Development Association, and through
renovating buildings in the Old City.

Strategic objective 2

Increase the number of housing units available

to Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Photo by Mahmoud Alayyan

Strategic response

Support the private sector and encourage

investment in the housing sector.

This involves supporting and encouraging the

private sector to invest in Jerusalem and to provide
financial guarantees and facilities. The strategy
foresees the establishment of a mechanism for
ensuring easy and efficient funding in the form
of a real estate development company to be
managed by professionals. The company’s main
tasks would involve purchase of land, preparation
of structural and detailed plans, obtaining licenses,
implementation of infrastructure projects and
building housing projects for sale. Photo Courtesy of the Civic Coalition

Facilitate access to finance for housing purposes.

This foresees the establishment in East Jerusalem of a private investment company to provide mortgage
funding to Palestinian Jerusalemites that would enable them to purchase houses and initiate construction
or renovation of existing buildings. The company would also offer commercial loans and financial products
to investors and contractors. This strategic response could also consider extending existing affordable, donor
financed mortgage programmes in the rest of oPt to support similar initiatives in East Jerusalem.

Support and develop the capabilities of civil society organisations working in the housing
sector

Civil society organisations working in the field of housing need to be supported. This would entail providing
these organisations with technical assistance and capacity building programmes to expand and improve their
activities. Organisations such as the Housing Council and Housing Cooperatives should be targeted.

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7.3 Human rights protection cluster
There are three sectors under the Human Rights Protection Cluster:
• Citizenship;
• Urban Planning;
• Environment.

7.3.1 Citizenship sector

Photo by Mahmoud Alayyan

Main issues

As outlined earlier in the legal section of the situation analysis (section 5.1), the annexation of East
Jerusalem by Israel and the enforcement of Israeli laws represent a breach of the principles and rules of
international law and the provisions of customary international law. These legal principles and rules prohibit
the occupation from implementing changes in the legislation that applies to an occupied territory, except
in cases of security necessity. 33 The policies of occupation which have resulted in the annexation of East
Jerusalem, the enforcement of Israeli laws and the complete isolation of the city from its Palestinian environs,
seek to reduce the size of the Palestinian population and to increase the percentage of Jews inside the city.
To achieve this goal Israel has isolated Jerusalem and banned Palestinians from entering or staying in the
city unless they have been granted permits. In addition, Palestinians are targeted on a daily basis to compel
them to abandon the city. Concurrently, Israel promotes settlement projects and grants privileges to settlers
who wish to move to Jerusalem.
33 See Article 43 of the Hague Convention respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land, 1907.

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Some of the principal challenges confronting the citizenship sector derive from Israeli laws, policies, plans and
actions that undermine Palestinian rights and deny Palestinian self-determination. This includes the exclusion of
Palestinian civil society organisations from Jerusalem. This has led to a diminishing role for Palestinian human rights
organisations in the city. Another challenge involves the absence of a unified and comprehensive Palestinian vision
regarding strategies for protecting and defending the rights of Palestinians in the city, the absence of a mechanism
for monitoring and documenting Israeli violations in East Jerusalem, and the lack of efficient legal counsel. This is
further exacerbated by weak and ineffective Arab, Muslim, and international support to Palestinian rights, the lack
of awareness among Palestinians of their rights and weak civil society advocacy skills, particularly in terms of using
international law and its mechanisms to counter the occupation laws and policies.

Strategic objective 1

Existence of efficient and professional Palestinian human rights organisations in Jerusalem.

Strategic response

Improve the capacity of human rights activists and organisations in Jerusalem.

Capacity building of activists and organisations will focus on the following areas: international law; Israeli law;
mechanisms to deal with international laws, treaties and their application; preparation of studies, reports, legal
memos and petitions; communications skills; negotiation and conflict resolution; and local and international advocacy.
Organisations should be encouraged to reinforce administrative tools, good governance mechanisms and efficient
internal systems and procedures. Voluntary action in rights protection should be encouraged in cooperation with
universities. Coordination between organisations should be supported to promote knowledge exchange and reinforce
solidarity.

Strategic objective 2

Provision of high quality legal and technical services to the Palestinians in Jerusalem.

Strategic response

Provide legal support.

This intervention seeks to ease the financial burden created for Palestinian Jerusalemites by the cost of legal services
through the following: offering legal consultation to victims of human rights violations; representation before the Israeli
judicial system; filing court cases; filling out forms of Israeli institutions on behalf of residents; and correspondence
with Israeli institutions.

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 Strategic objective 3

Documented and credible information that reveal the violations of Palestinian rights in
Jerusalem.

Strategic response

Establish a consolidated database and

coordinate information sharing on violations
of Palestinian rights in Jerusalem.

In order to establish the database it will be necessary

to determine which Palestinian institutions are
responsible for documenting violations and which
institutions would be interested in hosting and
managing an information centre and a database. An
assessment of these institutions will be conducted
and coordination between the interested institutions
will be established. Photo Courtesy of the Civic Coalition

Strategic objective 4

Increased awareness among Palestinians in Jerusalem about their human rights.

Strategic response

Promote legal research and studies pertaining to the violations of Palestinian rights in
Jerusalem.

This intervention will be achieved by using the resources from the proposed information centre as well as
the following: conducting legal studies; issuing reports and concept papers on specific cases; and issuing
periodicals and bulletins on violations.

Raising human rights awareness among

Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

Raising awareness includes, organising lectures

and workshops that address violations and the
protection of Palestinian rights; preparation of
booklets regarding Palestinian rights; issuing
bulletins for local and international human rights
organisations and for Jerusalemites; and the
translation of publications and periodicals into
Hebrew and English.
Photo by Mahmoud Alayyan

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Strategic objective 5

Effective mobilisation of the international community in support of Palestinian human rights

in East Jerusalem.

Strategic response

Increase media exposure of human rights violations in East Jerusalem.

This entails: training journalists and media professionals on covering violations of Palestinian rights; conducting
interviews in local and international media to expose violations; establishing a forum for journalists and
media professionals in order to address the situation; publication of articles in the local and foreign press;
and the production of media material on the status of human rights in Jerusalem.

Activate the use of the principle of universal jurisdiction.

This may be achieved through the following: conducting a study on international jurisdiction; assessment
of the ability of Palestinian human rights organisations to engage in international jurisdiction; determining
which institutions possess appropriate legal expertise; training Palestinian professionals in international
jurisdiction; filing cases against Israeli officials, both civilian and military, who are involved in grave violations
against Palestinians in Jerusalem and in committing war crimes; and file cases against local and international
firms that are involved in violating international law in occupied Jerusalem.

Support and advocacy programme.

In order to launch a successful programme, the following must take place: a local advocacy campaign regarding
Municipality property tax (i.e. Arnona), the confiscation of residency rights, the Separation Wall, the seizure of
land, and settlements; information exchange and coordination with regional and international organisations;
participation at the grass roots level; outreach to Palestinian communities abroad; and organising campaigns
abroad.

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7.3.2 Urban planning sector

Photo by Mahmoud Alayyan

Main issues

Since 1967, a number of stakeholders have been striving to drastically alter the spatial and demographic
elements of Jerusalem to determine the geopolitical future of the city. These stakeholders include: the Israeli
government and its various ministries, mainly the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Housing; national,
district and local planning institutions; Jerusalem Municipality; and many NGOs. Urban planning has been
a major tool for achieving the Israeli geopolitical goal of controlling Jerusalem, seen as a united city under
Israeli law.

The lack of approved, detailed urban plans for East Jerusalem and statutory permits for housing and economic
development are critical issues for Palestinians in Jerusalem. They encompass the key problems that severely
infringe on their daily lives. The Israeli Planning and Building Law of 1965 organises and controls all aspects
of planning and development and sets forth the principles according to which statutory planning and
development are to be undertaken. There should be an approved ‘Detailed Urban Plan’ in order to obtain a
permit to build a house, extend an apartment, add a balcony, pave a street, or develop land for economic
or public purposes. Only 13 percent of East Jerusalem has been designated for Palestinian use, mainly in
terms of housing. The vast majority, approximately 87 percent, of East Jerusalem, is directly (35 percent) or
indirectly (22 percent) expropriated or un-planned (30 percent). Palestinians cannot use or build on this land.
In sum, Israeli urban development plans and policies aim to:
• Increase the Jewish population through residential development of land and land confiscation in East
Jerusalem.

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• Obstruct the growth and development of Palestinian neighbourhoods through extreme delays in the
approval of the detailed plans proposed by Palestinians.
• Prevent the expansion of Palestinian neighbourhoods through strategic allocation of land use. This is
most commonly manifested by the designation of land in Palestinian neighbourhoods as ‘green areas’.
• According to Israeli law, the allocation of land as ‘green areas’ prohibits any development of this land. In
many cases these areas were left for the development of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem.
• Strictly limit the number of new homes built in Palestinian neighbourhoods by adopting strict zoning
procedures.
• Limit the zoning boundaries for Palestinian neighbourhoods to already built-up areas.
• The proposed plans for Palestinian neighbourhoods usually lack a professional programme for social
and cultural services. For example, the recent Jerusalem Master Plan No. 2000 (2009), which covers
the entire city and includes East Jerusalem, does not propose an adequate social or economic planning
programme for the development of East Jerusalem.
• The current Jerusalem Master Plan No. 2000 suggests increasing building density within existing
Palestinian neighbourhoods in order to limit their possibilities for expansion and in order to discourage
the establishment of new Palestinian neighbourhoods in the city, unlike plans for Israeli-Jews.
• The detailed urban plans of Palestinian neighbourhoods that are designed and proposed by Jerusalem
Municipality usually aim to control and restrict Palestinian construction rather than being an instrument
for community development.
• For example, an analysis of the plan of the Palestinian neighbourhood of Jabal Mokaber reveals that
the vast majority of land use designated in the plan is directed towards green, open areas, with very
little land designated for social or public purposes, or economic development. The plan will lead to the
eventual confiscation of the vast majority of privately owned Palestinian land in this neighbourhood.
• Israeli plans aim to limit construction and housing development while maintaining and enhancing the
“village” character of Palestinian neighbourhoods and result in population densities better suited for a
rural setting (i.e. villages and agricultural settlements) than an urban context.

As a result most planned Palestinian neighbourhoods (over 60 percent) have a building density of 50 percent
which restricts buildings to only two floors. In 14 percent of planned neighbourhoods population densities
are 37.5 percent, and in 4 percent of planned Palestinian neighbourhoods building densities are only 25
percent. Only in the Palestinian neighbourhoods of Beit Hanina and Shu’fat, which lie along the main road
between Ramallah and Jerusalem, do building densities reach 150 percent, allowing the construction of
three floors.34

These figures are starkly lower than found in Jewish areas where building densities are higher and reach 120
percent 136 percent.

Planned land use in Palestinian areas is strikingly deficient. Over 62 percent of planned areas are allocated
for “public use”, with 41 percent designated as open landscape areas. These are extreme figures according
to any professional criteria of urban planning, globally or in Israel. As a result there is a severe lack of land for
housing, public buildings and institutions, and for economic development, including commercial, industrial,
and office areas.

34 East Jerusalem: Planning Situation. Review of Urban Plans in East Jerusalem. Jerusalem: IrShalim . In Hebrew.

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 Among other principal challenges confronting the urban
planning sector are: a fragmented urban structure; and
neglect of the Palestinian urban economy. Furthermore,
expropriation and transformation of the Holy Basin
(the Old City and its immediate surroundings) is taking
place. There is also a discriminatory transportation
system which is characterised by an underdeveloped
and unsafe transportation system, and very weak public
transportation, in Palestinian areas, including; inefficient
urban connections between Palestinian neighbourhoods
and an inefficient inter-metropolitan transportation Photo by Mahmoud Alayyan
system; the total absence of comprehensive planning
for the transportation system in East Jerusalem; and the substantial lack of paved and designed streets,
as well as the existence of about 1,000 km of roads in East Jerusalem and its metropolitan area that need
upgrading and development.

Strategic objective 1

Exposing Israeli discriminatory policies against Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

Strategic response

Advocacy and alternative Palestinian planning.

This involves the development of urban plans as alternatives to Israeli planning schemes. The aim of these
plans is to expand areas available to Palestinians for construction purposes. At the same time these alternative
plans will be used for advocacy purposes, exposing Israel’s discriminatory urban planning measures and
policies. The plans will focus on areas threatened by confiscation, as well as unplanned or designated green
areas.

Strategic objective 2

Supporting Palestinians against discriminatory Israeli policies, through housing, social, and
economic planning measures.

Strategic response

Preparation of detailed structural and urban regeneration plans in East Jerusalem to address
the immediate needs of the population.

This will involve the preparation of detailed structural plans to increase the amount of land zoned for and
allocated land to Palestinians for construction and development purposes in East Jerusalem. It also involves
the development of a plan for the rehabilitation and renovation of the Old City, as well as a Palestinian
strategic framework to meet housing needs in the city.

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Pooling and networking of legal and planning

expertise.

This strategy involves gathering, coordinating, and

networking legal and planning expertise in order to
offer concerted technical support to Palestinians in East
Jerusalem. It involves the establishment of an urban
planning coordination unit tasked with coordination
of the various planning activities in Jerusalem, and
provision of technical support for Jerusalemites
through developing proposals and preparing planning
responses to Israeli decisions. Furthermore, the unit will
also provide capacity building for planning institutions Photo courtesy of the Civic Coalition
and professionals. Other functions of the unit would
include: serving as an information clearinghouse for urban development in Jerusalem; tracking, analysing,
and documenting Israeli plans; the coordination of advocacy campaigns; and capacity building activities.

Strategic objective 3

Prepare for Jerusalem to be the capital of Palestine.

Strategic response

Develop a Palestinian urban planning framework for Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian
state.

This is a long term strategy which necessitates the involvement of key Palestinian stakeholders in developing
a vision and planning agenda for East Jerusalem as the capital of the future State of Palestine.

7.3.3 Environment sector

Main issues

Jerusalem Municipality is responsible for providing all municipal services within the whole of the Jerusalem
metropolitan area. These services include, inter alia: solid waste management (SWM); water and wastewater
management; public health; management of parks and amenity areas.

Settlements and West Jerusalem have a high level of environmental quality and service provision which
contrasts starkly with that found in East Jerusalem. Areas with a predominantly Jewish population have
parks, solid infrastructure, and well designed and maintained streets and are characterised by overall
cleanliness and order due to regular service provision. Conversely, Palestinian areas are characterised by
open garbage containers, illegal waste dumping, lower sewerage network coverage, and higher use of cess
pits. This difference clearly demonstrates the treatment meted out to Palestinians.

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 Additional challenges for Palestinians include: untreated wastewater discharge; air and noise pollution from
traffic; poor street cleaning and garbage collection; lack of separation and management of medical and
hazardous waste; intermittency of water supply in some areas; lack of planned urban parks and landscaped
areas; and lack of Palestinian held data on environmental quality and services. The chief environmental
hazards relate to wastewater and SWM.

There are no wastewater treatment plants serving East Jerusalem. Untreated wastewater from East Jerusalem
and Israeli settlements on the east side of the city is discharged into the wadis35 which drain the eastern side
of the city. These include Wadi Muqallek (taking the wastewater stream from north eastern areas) and Wadi
Naar (taking wastewater from the central and south eastern areas). The seepage of untreated wastewater
pollutes the ground and the groundwater resources.

Waste from all areas of Jerusalem is taken to the Abu Dis dump in the West Bank, or else incinerated locally
and informally (with negative health and environmental consequences) in containers. The site for the Abu
Dis Dump was confiscated from Palestinian jurisdiction in 1988 and is managed by the Israeli Company for
the Economic Development of Ma’ale Adumim. The site covers approximately 430 dunums (1,000 square
metres) and receives around 1,200 – 1,500 tonnes of waste per day from Jerusalem and nearby Israeli
settlements. The Abu Dis site is not a sanitary facility. It is located on a hillside and there is inadequate lining,
leacheate control and gas collection. It is certain that leacheate and contaminated storm water infiltrates the
ground underlying the site and pollutes the wadi below the site.

Medical waste from hospitals (especially in East Jerusalem) and some hazardous waste (including batteries,
toxic heavy metals and disposal nappies) are mixed with domestic waste. This significantly adds to the health
risks faced by waste informal pickers who do not use adequate protective clothing and practices.

Palestinians have been disengaged from the city’s governance. This manifests itself in a number of ways that
relate to the environment, including: a lack of awareness of Israeli laws and regulations; a lack of expectation
that adequate services will be provided to East Jerusalem; and reluctance and communication difficulties in
raising issues and complaints. Many of the environmental problems confronting East Jerusalem are the result
of Israel not applying its own environmental protection laws and regulations adequately.

Strategic objective 1

Reduce the pollution either affecting Palestinians in East Jerusalem, or coming from East
Jerusalem.

Strategic response

This would require the following: reopen investigation into treatment of wastewater from East Jerusalem;
provide a sanitary landfill that would serve the Jerusalem Governorate in line with the Palestinian National
SWM Strategic Plan; reduce the quantity of solid waste delivered to the landfill site by encouraging recycling
interventions; launch advocacy campaigns and take legal actions for better environmental services with
special emphasis on the closure and rehabilitation of the Abu Dis waste disposal site by Israeli authorities
(i.e. polluter pays).
35 Wadis refer to valleys, dry riverbeds or intermittent streams.

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Strategic objective 2

Improve the behaviour of Palestinians in East

Jerusalem regarding environmental care.

Strategic response
Photo By Mahmoud Alayyan
This would require the implementation of a range of
community-based initiatives, coupled with education and
awareness raising interventions. These will be directed
towards assisting in physically cleaning up neighbourhoods,
both removing waste and its negative effects. It will also
provide communities with a new starting point for waste
management and neighbourhood care.

Strategic objective 3 Photo By Mahmoud Alayyan

Improve Palestinian capability in environmental planning and management in East

Jerusalem.

Strategic response

This would require three elements. First to develop a Strategic SWM Plan for East Jerusalem. Secondly to
provide an adequate information base for improved environmental planning. Palestinians need solid data in
East Jerusalem regarding: ambient air quality and point source emissions; provision of landscaping, parks and
trees, and wildlife; groundwater quality; street collection service, container provision, collection frequencies;
and wastewater network coverage and cess pit usage. Thirdly to establish partnerships with international
environmental agencies and NGOs. Establishing partnerships with agencies and NGOs will take place through
local, regional and international venues. Partnerships will serve to exchange information, strengthen global
pressure and advocacy on complying with environmental regulations, and to foment solidarity. Potential joint
programmes will also serve to foster youth’s inclusion and participation regarding environmental initiatives.

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 Photo by George Azzar - Courtesy of UNDP

8
Investment Plan
8. Investment Plan
Based on the agreed upon sector objectives and strategies, described in section seven above, proposed sector
projects were assessed and prioritised. Projects were prioritised and ranked according to the following factors:
technical feasibility (i.e. readiness for implementation); contribution to employment generation; impact on
the population; responsiveness to Palestinian Jerusalemite needs; and the urgency of the intervention. The
budget for each project has been estimated.

The Investment Plan is presented in Appendix 1. It is estimated that the total SMDP budget for the coming
three years will be $428,000,000.

A summary of the budget allocation according to sector is presented in table (7) below. The major part of
the budget, amounting to $328,000,000, is allocated to economic development and the development of the
economic, tourism and housing sectors. It is expected that the private sector’s contribution would comprise
more than $210,000,000 through bank loans, and direct internal and external investments.

Table (7): Budget summary (US$)

Sector and cluster Budget (US$) Percentage

Social Protection and Development cluster
Education 26,295,954 6.14%
Youth 16,394,520 3.83%
Health 12,843,800 3.00%
Social Welfare 5,011,820 1.17%
Culture and Heritage 14,610,000 3.41%
Total Social Protection and Development cluster 75,156,094 17.56%
Economic Development cluster
Economic Sector 77,200,000 18.04%
Tourism Sector 127,220,000 29.72%
Housing Sector 123,900,000 28.95%
Total Economic Development cluster 328,320,000 76.71%
Human Rights Protection
Citizenship and Human Rights 3,089,600 0.72%
Urban Planning 13,083,000 3.06%
Environment Sector 8,364,000 1.95%
Total Human Rights Protection cluster 24,536,600 5.73%
Grand Total 428,012,694 100.00%

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 Photo by George Azzar - Courtesy of UNDP

9
Plan for

the SMDP
implementation of
9. Plan for implementation of the SMDP
9.1 Key factors in SMDP implementation
Implementation of the SMDP is based on a sector-wide approach and the building of synergies so as to
achieve the goals and objectives of the SMDP, and the following four factors are important for facilitating
this process.

9.1.1 Building complementarities and cross-sector coordination

Examples of this include cross-sector coordination in education, youth, health, culture and environment
interventions.

The education sector targets a large percentage of the children and young people in East Jerusalem.
Organisations working with youth will be encouraged to work with schools to implement their programmes
and in parallel this will serve to achieve their specific objectives. Schools can implement awareness raising
campaigns on topics that include: drug addiction; the environment; mental health; Palestinian identity and
sense of belonging; volunteerism; and sports activities run by civil society organisations. Schools will also be
encouraged to use their facilities after school hours as community centres to provide an outlet for children
and young people that is safe and trusted by parents.

Coordination and building complementarities among private sector actors could entail improving access
to finance and directing private investors to developing the tourism sector in East Jerusalem. In turn this
would revive commercial activities in the city. Such coordination will be in optimising the benefits of a shared
strategy for economic sectors. Similar coordination will be encouraged between human rights and legal
sectors. For example, urban planning and environmental interventions will be used to document violations
against Palestinian Jerusalemite human rights. Legal defence services and advocacy activities will support the
urban planning, environment, and the human rights/citizenship sectors.

9.1.2 Ensuring complementarities and optimising efforts and resources among

Palestinian official institutions and with international partners
This involves gradual harmonisation of the SMDP with the Palestinian National Plan and interventions of line
ministries and agencies. The Governor of Jerusalem shall coordinate official activities in Jerusalem.

9.1.3 Strengthening the Palestinian identity and sense of belonging

All Palestinian interventions and activities in Jerusalem, such as the preservation of cultural heritage,
rehabilitation of Old City buildings, improving economic conditions, and strengthening Palestinian health
and educational services, should aim to enhance ties between East Jerusalemites and Palestinians at large.

9.1.4 Linking immediate interventions with the long term vision for Jerusalem
as the capital of the future state of Palestine:
All Palestinian interventions and activities in Jerusalem should focus on the institutionalisation of processes
and building sustainable institutions in order to preserve the Palestinian Arab identity and character of the
city. Furthermore, interventions should in no way prejudice the outcomes of the final status negotiations on
Jerusalem but, rather, they should lay the foundations for East Jerusalem as the seat of government for the
future state of Palestine.

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9.2 Key mechanisms in SMDP implementation

The SMDP provides the overall framework for Palestinian interventions in East Jerusalem. It is envisaged that
it will be implemented primarily by institutions working in Jerusalem, including Palestinian civil society and
private sector institutions, as well as, international and UN development agencies and NGOs. Due to the
complexity of issues and multiplicity of stakeholders, promoting networking, coalition building, coordination,
and joint implementation of activities is of prime importance. Likewise, it is important to institute a sustainable
and clear implementation framework that aims to create the widest possible coordination, cooperation, and
partnership between stakeholders: public, private and civil society sectors, and with the donor community.
Institutionally, the general approach is to rely upon and strengthen existing structures and to refrain, as much
as possible, from creating new ones, unless otherwise deemed necessary.

9.2.1 Governance and management mechanism

The Monitoring and Coordination Section (MCS)

The Jerusalem Unit within the Office of the President assumes the overall responsibility for the SMDP,
including responsibility over the planning activities to ensure the regular updating of the SMDP, as well as the
continuous monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of its programmes and interventions. The Unit
will engage in ongoing consultations with the relevant governmental and non-governmental stakeholders
to ensure full participation, complementarity, and assessment of results. To that end, the Unit will establish
the Monitoring and Coordination Section (MCS) as an integral part of it to carry out the following main
functions:
1. Developing the policy framework for the SMDP process through close consultation and coordination
with the various relevant committees.
2. Guiding and facilitating the development and regular updating of the SMDP.
3. Coordinating with relevant PNA institutions to ensure complementarities, sharing of timely information,
and avoiding duplication and overlaps.
4. Coordinating the implementation of the SMDP with stakeholders and in close cooperation with the
Sector Committees. 36
5. Assisting the Sector Committees in developing project selection criteria and in appraising projects in
accordance with the strategic framework outlined in the SMDP.
6. Facilitating the establishment of coalitions and networks among Palestinian institutions.
7. Assisting in and coordinating fundraising initiatives for the implementation of the SMDP.
8. Coordinating and harmonising aid provided to the implementation of the SMDP.
9. Closely monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the SMDP, and providing feedback and reports
to relevant bodies.

All relevant parties will be provided with regular monitoring and evaluation reports. All donors would
coordinate their activities with the Jerusalem Unit to guarantee coordination and communication also
between donors and the Office of the President.

36 Previously Sector Advisory Groups (SAGs).

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 Supervision and policy identification

In order to ensure coherence between the SMDP and national planning strategies and processes, coordinating
the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders, particularly Palestinian public institutions, and
streamlining public financing activities in relation to the SMDP, a Higher Supervision Committee will be
established by a decision of the Chief of Staff that will consist of representatives from official Palestinian
institutions, representatives from civil society and the private sector, as well as sector experts. The Committee
will work with the Jerusalem Unit to ensure constant follow up.

The Committee will primarily provide guidance for developing and implementing the SMDP . In general, its
tasks include the following:
1. Streamline policies and interventions among Palestinian official institutions (i.e. PLO, PNA, and Jerusalem
Governorate institutions).
2. Provide policy guidelines for the SMDP.
3. Oversee the formulation of the SMDP.
4. Endorse the SMDP document.
5. Assist in disseminating the SMDP in local and international arenas.
6. Assist in fundraising for the implementation of the SMDP.
7. Participate in following up on the implementation of proposed projects and constantly assess their
validity as related to the sector needs and priorities of the city.

Development sectors

The eleven SAGs that assisted in the formulation of the SMDP will be consolidated into three sector committees
as follows: Social and Cultural Committee; Economic Committee; and Legal and Human Rights Committee.

Sub-sector working groups will be formed when needed. Membership in the Sector Committees includes
some members of the existing SAGs, representatives from civil society and the private sector, and relevant
PNA line ministries. In addition to representing the Sector Committees in the Higher Supervision Committee,
the chair of each committee will ensure interaction and coordination among committee members. The main
tasks of the Sector Committees include the following:
1. Assist in identifying sector needs and priorities and in formulation of sector strategic frameworks.
2. Coordinate with civil society and private sector institutions working in Jerusalem in identifying priority
projects, and ensuring their adherence to Palestinian policies.
3. Together with MCS, develop project appraisal procedures and criteria for both projects foreseen within
the current SMDP and new ones.
4. Assist the MCS in performing appraisal of project proposals.
5. Assist the MCS in facilitating the building of sector coalitions and networks in Jerusalem.

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9.2.2 Mechanism for financing the SMDP Investment Plan

Financing sources
Except for some private sector related activities the majority of the proposed interventions within the SMDP
require external financing, especially those to be implemented by civil society organisations. Several potential
financing sources are available, including Palestinian and external sources, and include the following:

Palestinian (self) financing sources

1. PNA budget allocations to Jerusalem. This would include budgets allocated directly to support Jerusalem
civil society organisations or budgets allocated to line ministries and public agencies that would be used
to support some of the identified interventions in Jerusalem, especially in education, health, and social
protection sectors.
2. Funds received by the PLO for Jerusalem. These could be increased by activating the various Arab League
and Islamic Summit resolutions on supporting Jerusalem.
3. Contributions from Palestinians in the Diaspora.
4. Palestinian investors, local and expatriate, especially in private sector related activities, such as economic
development, tourism, housing, as well as service provision in health and education.
5. Self financing initiatives from Palestinian NGOs.
6. Religious institutions such as the Islamic Waqf, Christian churches, and church related local
organisations.
7. Community contributions including cash (e.g. payment of token fees against receiving services, covering a
certain percentage of the activity cost) and in-kind contributions (e.g. land, equipment, labour, volunteer
work).

External financing sources

1. Arab and Islamic countries.
2. Arab and Islamic funds.
3. Arab and Islamic NGOs.
4. EU and EU Member states.
5. International Agencies:
a. UN Agencies;
b. World Bank;
c. International NGOs.
6. International church related organisations.

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 Due to the prevailing economic situation in oPt, Palestinian resources are not sufficient to cope with the
multitude of competing priorities and challenges that face the population. Hence, Palestinian capabilities to
finance the SMDP are limited. Implementing the bulk of the proposed activities will rely on external funding
and support. The long term strategy, however, is to steadily reduce dependence on external aid, enhancing
self reliance and a sense of ownership among Palestinians.

Financing modalities
Due to the diversity of funding sources, different modalities will be pursued to finance the implementation of
the SMDP. Options include the following:

Channelling external support through Palestinian official channels

1. Utilising and strengthening existing structures, such as the Jerusalem Fund.
2. Channelling aid through the Ministry of Finance (i.e. through the Single Treasury Account). In this regard,
it is important to lobby for implementation of the Law on Jerusalem as the Capital (Law No. 4, 2002), to
ensure that Jerusalem receives its fair share of the PNA budget.
3. Implementation by PNA institutions including the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and other line ministries
and agencies. In this respect, it is essential that the SMDP be integrated into Palestinian national plans
(i.e. the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan (PRDP).

Direct financing by donors

1. Direct financial assistance to Palestinian NGOs and institutions.
2. Direct implementation of activities by donor agencies and international NGOs.
3. Establishing partnerships and joint ventures between Palestinian and international NGOs.
4. Financing and implementation through international and UN agencies.
5. Direct implementation by church related institutions.

Private sector involvement

1. Encouraging local and external private investments in Jerusalem.
2. Promoting public-private partnerships (e.g. Palestinian Investment Fund).
3. Advocating for the private sector to demonstrate ‘social responsibility’ and also to support social and
cultural initiatives and activities in Jerusalem.

Once the SMDP is endorsed by the Higher Supervision Committee, a dissemination and marketing campaign
will be launched with the aim of attracting interested partners and donors to support specific programmes
proposed by the SMDP. Depending on the financing modality selected, the MCS shall facilitate development
of fundraising proposals tailored to the needs of both Jerusalemites and the implementing partner (i.e.
Palestinian institution), and in accordance with the funding conditions and regulations of the respective
donor.

80
 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

9.2.3 Donor coordination mechanism

With the multiplicity of donors and financing modalities, it is crucial to set an appropriate platform that
will facilitate coordination and dialogue between and among donors and Palestinian counterparts. This is
important in areas of policy and strategy formulation, as well as in the financing and implementation of the
SMDP. It is also important to provide a high degree of harmonisation of donor programmes and procedures
as related to Jerusalem. In principle, there is no need to establish new structures but rather capitalise upon
the Palestinian accumulated experiences with the existing aid coordination structure at the local level. This
structure is composed of a Local Development Forum (LDF) and four Strategic Groups (SGs): Economic
Strategy Group (ESG); Governance Strategy Group (GSG); Infrastructure Strategy Group (ISG); and Social
Development Strategy Group (SDSG). The SGs are supported by the work of twelve main sub-groups (eleven
Sector Working Groups (SWGs) and one Working Group) that report to the SGs. In addition there are ten Task
Forces and Thematic Groups, which are functional groups representing the main instruments of coordination
between PNA and donor community at the sector level.

Currently, Jerusalem is being addressed implicitly by PNA line ministries and given priority within the education
and health sectors. Jerusalem is discussed within the humanitarian task force, which is limited as it does not
address development issues. Thus, there is a clear need to emphasise the importance of Jerusalem within
the aid coordination mechanism by establishing a coordination framework that takes into consideration the
strategic development dimension and increases the level of importance and representation of Jerusalem issues
with the donors. Given the specificity of the situation of Jerusalem, a specialised coordination mechanism
will be established that would ensure the active participation of all relevant stakeholders including the
donors, Palestinian representatives of the public, private, and non-governmental sectors. The mandate of this
structure, its chairmanship and membership need to be elaborated and agreed upon among the competent
parties in order to guide overall policy and project implementation in East Jerusalem based on the SMDP.

Until such mechanism is established, it is possible to coordinate the implementation of the SMDP through
coordination among the donors themselves, whereby a consortium of donors can be established to support
the various development projects in East Jerusalem. Coordination between this consortium and the official
parties will take place through the Jerusalem Unit at the Office of the President. It is preferable that the
donors would nominate a coordinator between them and the Jerusalem Unit. The Jerusalem Fund under the
Jerusalem Unit can serve as an important tool for the implementation of development projects and support
to Palestinian non-governmental organisations who would primarily implement the SMDP.

9.2.4 Mechanism for civil society and private sector participation

As previously mentioned, Palestinian civil society and private sector organisations will have a major role
in the implementation of the SMDP. These encompass a wide spectrum of organisations and networks,
including: national and international NGOs; charitable societies; academic and research institutions; youth
clubs; neighbourhood committees; social movements (i.e. women, youth, students); religious organisations;
trade unions; and professional associations. The involvement and participation of these organisations, and
the community at large, in implementing the SMDP and the achievement of consensus among them are vital
elements in ensuring a Palestinian-owned approach towards Jerusalem.

It is extremely difficult to devise a ‘one size fits all’ mechanism that will ensure the participation of all
stakeholders in implementing the SMDP. Therefore, it is important to create platforms for dialogue, exchange
of information and expertise, and coordination to facilitate the process. In this respect, the following five-
tiered strategy will be pursued:

81
 1. Maintaining, activating, and strengthening Jerusalem-based organisations.
2. Strengthening existing coalitions and sector networks and encouraging the establishment of new ones
as needed.
3. Enhancing and organising voluntary work and the work of popular committees.
4. Pooling of expertise and know-how.
5. Strengthening relationships with active international organisations in Jerusalem through the joint
coordination, planning, and implementation of programmes in a manner that serves and consolidates
the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem.

The Unit will coordinate activities under the various sectors through joint work in the form of networks and
associations to ensure the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the SMDP. Regular meetings will be held
between the various sector networks and associations and donors on a regular basis in addition to ongoing
coordination with the various Palestinian official institutions.

82
photo by: Creative ad

10 Monitoring, evaluation,
and updating mechanisms
of the SMDP
10 Monitoring, evaluation, and updating mechanisms
for the SMDP
10.1 Establishing a M&E system for the SMDP
The establishment of a M&E system for following up and evaluating the implementation of the strategy is a
crucial component of the SMDP. The M&E system will enable necessary operational or policy decision making
to measure progress and bring about improvements in SMDP. It will enable MCS to better adjust the SMDP
to developments in the internal Palestinian environment (i.e. political, economic, social) as well as in the
wider external environment. It also specifies the extent to which the SMDP impacts or is impacted by such
changes.

The system, once established, will facilitate identification of the extent to which medium and long term
development objectives are being achieved. It will also assist in documenting the implementation processes
and experiences to enable learning from them. It will provide inputs during regular reviews and updating of
the Plan. The MCS will develop a number of streamlined tools and procedures to facilitate and support the
process of decision making at the operational and the policy level at the milestones of the SMDP. The main
components of a M&E system are illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Main components of a M&E system

Inputs Outputs Outcomes Impact

Internal & External Development Context

The MCS is currently developing a web-based information system that will be accessible by all relevant
parties. The system includes qualitative and quantitative information associated with inputs, processes,
outputs, outcomes, and impacts related to the SMDP. It will be complemented by periodic specialised
studies, research, and surveys on the internal and external development context. Routine information will be
complemented and validated by field surveys.

Clearly and accurately identified and agreed upon objectives, coupled with a number of specific, practical
and objectively verified indicators are the starting point for an effective M&E system. The SMDP includes a
number of overall objectives that are complemented by specific sector objectives that the SMDP strives to
realise over the next three years. It is important that the MCS completes this step by identifying a number
of indicators that will assist in monitoring the Plan and in assessing its achievements as related to declared
strategic objectives.

All stakeholders should participate in establishing and managing the M&E system, including: PCBS; academic
and research institutions; implementing line ministries; and development partners. The general framework
of the M&E system is based on the monitoring needs during implementation and on the need to define the
institutional roles during this process, avoiding as much as possible creating new institutional or organisational
structures. The M&E system will depend on developing and strengthening existing monitoring mechanisms,
adding necessary elements, while creating linkages and coordination.

84
 Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem

10.2 Monitoring inputs

Based on the SMDP’s Investment Plan, MCS, together with the Policy Committee and in coordination with
MoPAD, will work on securing funds and technical assistance to support the different projects within the
Plan. The MCS will monitor, track, and document funding through a special database and through ongoing
and direct coordination with donors and with Palestinian parties. The information will be published through
the online database and through regular reports. The MCS will establish the structure and tools of the
M&E system, and the coordination and consultation forums between the OoP and donors. This will include
mechanisms for receiving information related to all funds allocated by donors and the transfer of funds to
implementing parties, ensuring financial monitoring. As such, an effective and transparent mechanism needs
to be established to link monitoring of fundraising with that of budget allocation to SMDP projects.

Additionally, a mechanism for documenting and following up on grants and external technical assistance is
needed. This is particularly important for donors who prefer to implement projects directly or through their
development agencies and other Palestinian institutions.

10.3 Monitoring outputs

The task of monitoring and documenting outputs is the primary responsibility of individual implementing
parties. This will be realised through the identification and documentation of specific indicators. However,
there is a need to regularly compile and analyse outputs compared to resources (inputs) in order to assess
implementation efficiencies. This will also enable decision to be taken regarding resource use and to
evaluate the effectiveness of implementation. In this context, regular, quarterly and project specific reports
by implementing organisations will serve as appropriate tools.

10.4 Monitoring outcomes

The Investment Plan provides a set of indicators related to changes in attitudes, relations, activities and
events as a result of the implementation of SMDP projects. Mechanisms need to be established to enable
compilation and documentation of information that will allow for analysis and for linking the information
rationally with the appropriate strategic response. In this context, information can be collected directly or
through coordination with relevant implementing parties. One option may be to solicit the services of PCBS
in compiling and documenting the required information. Analyses of the information will be conducted by
MCS.

10.5 Impact Assessment

The impact assessment process requires agreed upon socio-economic indicators linked to the SMDP goal.
PCBS collects relevant information through conducting regular surveys. The evaluation studies are usually
conducted by specialised research centres. Additionally, many local and international organisations issue
regular reports that could contribute to the process of impact assessment.

10.6 Monitoring changes in the development context

It is difficult to predict the changes and incidents that might arise and could affect implementation of the
SMDP. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor political, social, and economic developments, tracking changes
and assessing their impact on the SMDP in order to take proper and rapid measures to address them. The
risk analysis section of the Plan provides a reasonable and practical framework for guiding and focusing on
the process of monitoring change.

85
10.7 Beginning establishment of a M&E system for the SMDP
Given the comprehensive nature of the SMDP and the diversity of implementing and monitoring parties,
the establishment of a comprehensive M&E system requires a high degree of coordination and concerted
effort among stakeholders. It also requires the development of proper mechanisms and procedures. Capacity
strengthening and skills development of the MCS staff is necessary. Emphasis will be placed on strengthening
planning and monitoring capabilities, including regarding compilation and documentation of information,
and in-depth evaluations and analytical studies. Moreover, the establishment of regulations and guidelines
related to the management of M&E processes will take place, as well as those related to facilitation of
information exchange. Finally, infrastructure will be needed in terms of equipment and information
communication technology (ICT) systems. All of this requires significant time and effort for preparation and
institutionalisation and will therefore be conducted in consecutive phases.

As a first step, MCS will work with the relevant parties on developing an integrated system that will primarily
consist of the following elements:
• Objectively verifiable indicators.
• A permanent M&E system.
• A special database for monitoring progress in achieving SMDP objectives.
• Quarterly progress reports and an annual review of all implemented projects which will be submitted to
the Policy Committee for follow up.

Starting from January 2011, and in the first month of each year, the information related to monitoring will be
entered into an annual review system that will result in the following:
• An annual report on the SMDP.
• Annual reviews led by the MCS with the participation of relevant ministries and with other key stakeholders.
The aim will be to determine new policies, review implementation of SMDP, identify operational best
practice and lessons learned, and prepare work plans for the following year.

86
 Photo by Mahmoud Alayyan

11
matrix
Risk management
11 Risk management matrix
This section presents a risk management matrix regarding implementation of the SMDP through which
major threats and risks are identified, the likelihood of occurrence is investigated, and the impact assessed.
Mitigation strategies and risk response measures are outlined. It is important to monitor these risks regularly.
Any significant changes in the risk profile will be reported and assessed immediately. Regular monitoring
of risks will be undertaken by studying events, situations or trends which could potentially negatively affect
implementation of the SMDP.
Risk
Escalation of oppressive
measures against Palestinians
and their institutions in East
Jerusalem.
Rapidly changing political
situation and priorities.
Weak internal coordination
among official Palestinian
institutions vis-à-vis work in
Jerusalem.
Insufficient Palestinian
commitment to continue
supporting MCS due to
changing or competing
priorities.
Some donors and NGOs are not
willing to follow the SMDP.
88
Likelihood Magnitude of impact Mitigating actions
(High)
Shifting attention to immediate
response, emergency and
Provide international protection
humanitarian assistance at the
through building partnerships and
expense of long term sustainable
joint ventures between Palestinian
High development.
and international organisations.
Emergencies and accelerated
Link immediate needs with long
levels of Judaisation of the city
term strategic vision.
lead to frustration and inclination
towards short term emergency
operation mode.
Regular monitoring of the political
(Medium)
and development context.
High SMDP is not responsive enough to
Develop procedures for timely
evolving needs.
response and actions.
Provide highest political support
(High) to SMDP.
Medium Reduced credibility of Palestinian Promote internal political dialogue
efforts in Jerusalem. and consensus vis-à-vis the work
in Jerusalem.
Ensure that the mandate and
organisational structure are
(Medium) approved and supported by the
Momentum and credibility are highest decision making level (i.e.
Low
lost, leading to frustration among the President).
staff and stakeholders. Ensure buy-in by regularly
providing information about work
progress.
Enhance coordination with donors
(High)
and NGOs.
Dispersed efforts leading to
Visible Palestinian political support
confusion in focus regarding
Medium to SMDP.
development priorities in
Incorporation of SMDP into
Jerusalem.
Palestinian national plans (i.e.
Reduced coordination.
PNP).

Risk
Lack of sufficient capability
among Palestinian partner
(implementing) institutions.
Insufficient donor funding and
/ or interest.
Funding patterns remain at the
same level or deteriorate.
Project proposals fail to attract
sufficient interest from donors.
Prioritised projects require
expertise that is not available
locally.
Strategic
Multi Sector East
Development
Plan for Jerusalem
Likelihood Magnitude of impact Mitigating actions
Provide capacity building
component as an integral part of
(High)
assistance.
Failure to meet expectations of the
Promote pooling of expertise and
Medium population.
sharing of experiences among
Inability to attract sufficient
implementing institutions.
funding.
Augment local capacities with
expatriate expertise if needed.
(High)
Inability to implement important
Expand range of donors targeted
projects. Lack of implementation
Medium by fundraising strategy. Attract
leads to further de-development
Palestinian private sector.
and requires double the effort and
cost to reverse negative impacts.
Focus on public relations and
marketing activities that are
based on reliable information
and coherent strategies of
intervention.
Diversify funding sources.
Encourage government allocation
(High)
of funds to Jerusalem.
Donors are unable or unwilling
Advocate for private sector ‘social
to incorporate development
Medium responsibility’ towards Jerusalem.
assistance within their
Seek the formation of a consortium
programming for Jerusalem that is
of donors to encourage donors
based on the SMDP.
to allocate funds towards
development projects in
Jerusalem.
Implement short term projects
that can be easily capitalised upon
once longer term development
processes are available.
MCS to provide guidance
(Medium) (and assistance) in developing
Low Parts of the SMDP are not marketable project proposals in
implemented. close consultation with interested
donors.
Attract international technical
(Low) assistance.
Low Delays in design, marketing and Encourage joint venturing between
implementation of projects. Palestinian and international
NGOs.
89
 Risk
Lack of sufficient capabilities
among staff to carry out the
tasks required.
Inability of MCS staff to access
Jerusalem.
Reluctance of stakeholders to
provide accurate and reliable
information for monitoring and
evaluation of implementation.
90
Likelihood Magnitude of impact Mitigating actions
(High) Design on the job training
Failure to sustain progress and throughout the project duration.
Medium quality work. Careful selection of staff.
Erosion of credibility with partners Provide coaching and on the job
and stakeholders. training to staff.
(High)
Select civil servants that hold
Difficulties of interaction with
Medium Jerusalem ID cards as much as
stakeholders, inability to monitor
possible.
progress towards achievements.
(Medium)
Maintain effective communication
Inability to track implementation
Medium and consensus building channels
and take appropriate adjustments
with stakeholders.
in a timely manner.
Photo by Mahmoud Alayyan

Appendix 1
Investment Plan
 Social Protection and Development Cluster

92
Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

Education Sector

1- Kindergartens:
• Increase early education opportunities for
Jerusalemite children.
2- General education schools:
• Increase in the absorption capacity of Palestinian
The Jerusalem Municipality’s neglect The development
schools (government, private and UNRWA) in
of its obligations under the Law of and rehabilitation
East Jerusalem.
Compulsory Education has had numerous of the physical
• Improvement in the quality of educational 1 3 years 4,428,000 4,258,000 3,763,000 12,449,000
adverse affects on Palestinian education. and educational
Increase and extracurricular activities in the Palestinian
The education sector in East Jerusalem infrastructure of the
number of schools in East Jerusalem.
is characterised by: inadequate and educational institutions.
classrooms and 3- Vocational training:
insufficient infrastructure of educational
improve school • Increase in the absorption capacity of Palestinian
institutions; overcrowded classrooms
infrastructure. vocational training institutes in East Jerusalem.
due to construction restrictions; lack of
• Improvement in the quality of vocational
educational facilities and equipment; lack
education in East Jerusalem.
of a unified curriculum for kindergartens;
weak coordination among institutions in
• Increase in the number of students enrolled in
the provision of comprehensive services
kindergartens.
to students; lack of awareness of the Provision of equipment
To improve • Improvement in the quality of education offered
relevance of vocational education and to educational 4 3 years 3,590,040 2,477,640 2,515,474 8,583,154
the quality of to the students.
lack of recognition by Israel due to institutions.
education and • Improvement in achievements and competence
licensing and certification requirements;
learning in of the school graduates.
incoherence between vocational
Jerusalem. Developing educational
education, training and market needs; Improvement in the quality of education offered to
the need to locate alternative sources support structures of 2 3 years 1,000,000 1,203,000 1,203,000 3,406,000
Jerusalemite students.
of funding rather than relying on the schools.
Israeli authorities to maintain institutional • More modern and relevant vocational training
independence; lack of attention to programmes that meet with the needs of the
children with special needs; inability Developing educational market.
Strengthening
to maintain or provide qualified staff support structures in • More support from society to vocational 5 3 years 200,000 252,000 252,900 704,900
educational
due to recruitment procedures, salaries, vocational education. education.
support structures.
incentives, access restrictions as 70 • Increase in number of students in vocational
percent of teachers are West Bank education programmes.
residents; and, inadequate qualifications; Development and
and, non-recognition of higher-degree capacity building Increase in the number and capabilities of the
certification from Palestinian academic 3 3 years 350,000 350,000 397,900 1,097,900
of educational supervisory and teaching staff at all levels.
institutions by Israel. professionals.
Develop
• More effective annual plans to be integrated
financial and Computerising
with the education sector in East Jerusalem.
administrative administrative work in 6 3 years 25,000 20,000 10,000 55,000
• Increase in supervisory capacities of the
capabilities and general education.
education directorate in East Jerusalem.
systems.

Total Education 9,593,040 8,560,640 8,142,274 26,295,954

 Social Protection and Development Cluster

Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

Youth Sector
Raising the
awareness of
Jerusalemite • Increase number of young people , especially
Promote and
youth regarding girls, participating in projects and activities of
strengthen the
their heritage, Increasing youth civic youth organisations and clubs.
Palestinian 6 3 years 1,500,000 1,500,000 1,500,000 4,500,000
history, and engagement. • Young people are tolerant and can express the
identity of youth
cause, and components of their Palestinian Jerusalemite
in Jerusalem.
ensuring identity.
greater youth
participation.
Improve quality Institutional and
of services Strengthening administrative Youth institutions are efficient, effective, and
1 3 years 300,000 350,000 350,000 1,000,000
provided to the institutions development of youth responsive.
The political context has led to a youth to develop that serve organisations.
profound identity crisis among youth. their capabilities Jerusalemite
The result has been manifested in: and optimise youth and Clubs with good facilities and well equipped in
Developing the
psychological issues and difficulties in quantitative improving their order to offer various activities that meet the needs
infrastructure of youth 4 3 years 800,000 800,000 800,000 2,400,000
working with youth; poor employment and qualitative infrastructure. of the largest sector of the young people, including
organisations.
conditions and a lack of education (with benefit. young people with special needs and girls.
a 10 percent dropout rate) have led to Supporting • Increased participation of young people with
high unemployment rates, social hardship programmes special needs in youth organisations and
and poverty; the absence of recreational that facilitate the activities.
areas and participation in existing youth participation of Integrating young • Presence of people with special needs in the
clubs or sports has been compounded youth from the people with special youth organisations and their participation in
by an increase and spread of substance marginalised needs into youth the activities. 5 3 years 200,000 200,000 200,000 600,000
abuse and delinquency; young people sectors of activities and
are shunning away from voluntary work; Palestinian institutions. • Clubs, youth organisations and community
youth need serious interventions; youth society in youth organisations have facilities that offer various
organisations are weak and fragmented; Alleviate the activities and sports activities appropriate to the needs of
and, there is a need to ensure the crisis facing organisations. young men and women with special needs.
integration of minorities and marginalised youth as a Continue • Palestinian young people are more aware of the
groups such as ethnic minorities, women, result of the Protection of
supporting the harms of drug abuse and addiction.
and young people with special needs in social, political, Jerusalemite young
institutions that • Increasing number of people benefiting from 3 3 years 825,000 825,000 850,000 2,500,000
youth organisations. and economic people against drug
work with youth services of institutions dealing with drug
conditions, abuse.
who are high addiction, especially among youth.
particularly risk in terms Increased awareness among the various community
marginalised of drug-use or «Young people in
segments in East Jerusalem concerning issues of 7 1 year 57,840 0 0 57,840
groups. Crisis» Programme.
Plan for
Development
Multi Sector
Strategic

delinquency. mental health.

Career guidance
Activating and counselling • Increase in employment of young people.
vocational and creating job • Reduction in the school dropout ratio of by 2 2 3 years 1,250,000 2,000,000 2,000,000 5,250,000
East

centres that opportunities for the percent.

equip students young people
with vocational • Increased employment and voluntary work
skills. Youth Job Centre. opportunities for new graduates from schools 2 1 year 86,680 0 0 86,680
and universities in East Jerusalem.

93
Jerusalem

Total Youth 5,019,520 5,675,000 5,700,000 16,394,520

 Social Protection and Development Cluster
Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

94
Health Sector
The health sector is characterised by: Establish a
To create a • A model of well integrated healthcare system in
expropriation, closures and attacks sustainable Integrated model for
health care East Jerusalem.
against hospitals; impediments to the model: the East comprehensive primary 2 3 years 1,510,000 4,500,000 6,000,000 12,010,000
system model in • Efficient use of resources.
development and expansion of hospitals; Jerusalem Clinic health care services.
East Jerusalem. • Increased client and provider satisfaction.
Israeli MoH licensing requirements Network.
on nurses and physicians; lack of Establishment of East
comprehensive services (i.e. mental • Efficient referral system between Palestinian
Jerusalem General 3 2 years 23,375 23,375 0 46,750
health care); financial pressure (Arnona clinics and hospitals in Jerusalem.
Health Board.
tax), which may cripple hospitals; the
need for comprehensive primary health Improve the
care services; the need to improve health To enhance efficiency and
information management systems; poor the existing effectiveness
local ambulance and emergency services; health service of existing • Better healthcare services provided to clients
poor continuous education for health institutions health service (clients satisfaction).
professionals; access restrictions imposed (primary, institutions. Primary health training • Better management of healthcare resources
secondary, (primary, 1 2 years 393,525 393,525 0 787,050
on staff and patients from the oPt; most programme. (human, technical, and financial).
centres contracted by the Israeli Sick tertiary). secondary, • Increase in primary healthcare institution’s
Funds provide curative, with minimal tertiary). effectiveness.
preventive, services without control and
maintenance; and, weak incentives for
qualified health professionals.
Total Health 1,926,900 4,916,900 6,000,000 12,843,800
 Social Protection and Development Cluster
Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

Social Welfare Sector

Develop a
database for Assessment of
social welfare Palestinian social Improved knowledge about social welfare needs 6
1 50,000 0 0 50,000
needs and welfare service delivery and services. months
available services in Jerusalem.
in East Jerusalem.
Improve Improved efficiency and effectiveness of
efficiency and Empowerment and institutions and voluntary groups providing
effectiveness capacity building social services.
As tax payers, Palestinians pay over 33 of existing programme for
percent of the budget of the Jerusalem Palestinian institutions and 1 3 years 200,000 500,000 500,000 1,200,000
Municipality, however, they are allocated institutions that voluntary groups
approximately 10 percent in services, provide social providing social
depicting an extensive degree of welfare services services.
Improve access
discrimination and bias in the distribution in Jerusalem.
of individuals
of budgets. The social welfare sector
and marginalised Job creation
is characterised by: lack of adherence Reduced unemployment rates in East Jerusalem. 2 3 years 1,000,000 1,000,000 1,000,000 3,000,000
groups to programme.
regarding social welfare services, in terms
qualitative,
of quantity, quality, and comprehensiveness Reduction of gender
sustainable, and • Increased awareness among women and East
by Israeli institutions; lack of information based violence, sexual
responsive social Jerusalem’s society regarding gender based
regarding the needs of services and lack exploitation and
services. violence, sexual exploitation and STDs. 3 1 year 64,020 0 0 64,020
of clear procedures; inefficient services Sexually Transmitted
• Traumatised girls/ women receive
provided by community organisations and Diseases (STDs) in East
Expand types and Jerusalem. psychosocial counselling.
poor international advocacy strategies;
limited financial resources; and, lack of scope of social
Maintenance and
knowledge about the sector. services provided Improved quality of life of the elderly people in
rehabilitation of old age 4 3 years 100,000 100,000 100,000 300,000
by Palestinian old age homes.
homes.
institutions.
Integrated education
and rehabilitation Improved psycho-social and educational
4 3 years 100,000 100,000 100,000 300,000
of visually impaired situation of visually impaired individuals.
individuals.

Psycho-social support Improved psycho-social well being of targeted

4 3 years 32,600 32,600 32,600 97,800
for children. children.

Total Social Welfare 1,546,620 1,732,600 1,732,600 5,011,820

Plan for
Development
Multi Sector
Strategic
East

95
Jerusalem
 Social Protection and Development Cluster

96
Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

Culture and Heritage Sector

• To develop the Developing the
work of the institutional structure Systematic and professional management of
institutions 4 3 years 800,000 900,000 900,000 2,600,000
of cultural work in cultural heritage.
that are active Jerusalem.
in the field of
protection and
renovation of
architectural
and cultural
heritage in the
city.
• To improve
the services of
museums and • Documentation of traditional handicrafts in
libraries. Traditional Crafts Jerusalem.
3 2 years 200000 200,000 0 400,000
• To network Development. • Trained professionals in the field of
The culture and heritage sector has been between handicrafts.
severely impacted by Israeli discriminatory institutions
laws and measures. The sector is of same
characterised by: lack of a cultural vision and specialisation,
implementation modalities; poor cultural develop work
infrastructure and the need for investment; mechanisms
minimal, active cultural centres; dispersed and ensure
and lack of comprehensive coordination their
and budgets; isolation, lack of diversity and integration.
restricted accessibility; and, the deterioration
The development of
of the sector linked to the demise of
the infrastructure and
Palestinian identity. Development of
technical facilities of Cultural institutions and centres offer qualitative
existing cultural 1 2 years 2,690,400 2,819,600 0 5,510,000
the cultural institutions activities that attract larger audiences.
centres.
and centres in East
Jerusalem.
• Establishing
cultural
centres in the
peripheries
of East Cultural outreach
Jerusalem. and promotion of Increased cultural involvement of peripheral and
2 3 years 1,850,000 2,150,000 2,100,000 6,100,000
• To create cultural activities in the marginalised communities of East Jerusalem.
a new outskirts of Jerusalem.
generation
of artists
and creative
people.
Total Culture and Heritage 5,540,400 6,069,600 3,000,000 14,610,000

Total Social Protection 23,626,480 26,954,740 24,574,874 75,156,094

 Economic Development Cluster
Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

Economy Sector
• Providing
technical
and financial
assistance to
organisations
and NGOs
• Expanded and improved support/consultation
supporting
Improve business services provided to the Jerusalemite private
private sector Capacity building for
development sector.
development private sector support 3 3 years 1,000,000 1,100,000 1,100,000 3,200,000
services in East • Availability of updated and accurate
in East organisations.
Jerusalem. economic information and studies concerning
Jerusalem.
Jerusalem.
• Establishing a
comprehensive
data base on
the economic
sector in East
The situation in the economic sector Jerusalem.
is characterised by: high taxes and a Providing
weak investment climate; the absence To improve the technical • Increased access of Jerusalemites to lending
of credit facilities for individuals and competitive assistance and Financial Services and credit opportunities.
1 3 years 15,000,000 17,500,000 17,500,000 50,000,000
businesses (particularly small businesses); capacity of logistical support Company. • Jerusalemites have more profitable and
minimal investment and capital leakage manufacturers. to private sector efficient economic enterprises.
to PNA-controlled areas or abroad; poor institutions.
coordination among the various sectors, • Networking
specifically tourism, education, economy and between
finance; and, the loss of labourers from the the various
West Bank. • To expand economic
the market sectors
• Increase in producers> and traders> income
share for (manufacturing,
Promoting and in Jerusalem.
Jerusalemite trade, services, 2 3 years 800,000 600,000 600,000 2,000,000
marketing Jerusalem. • Rise in numbers of visitors and consumers in
manufacturers etc.).
East Jerusalem.
and merchants. • Enhancing
• To develop the regional and
entrepreneurial international
spirit among economic
the residents, networking.
Plan for
Development
Multi Sector
Strategic

especially Providing
among • Jerusalemite businesspeople are more
financing with
youth and Credit and support capable of expanding, developing, and
relatively soft
entrepreneurs. programme for bringing in modern technology into the
conditions, 1 3 years 6,000,000 8,000,000 8,000,000 22,000,000
East

small projects and production patterns of their institutions.

accompanied
entrepreneurs. • Entrepreneurs are better equipped to start
with technical
new businesses.
assistance.
Total Economy Sector 22,800,000 27,200,000 27,200,000 77,200,000

97
Jerusalem
 Economic Development Cluster

98
Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

Tourism Sector
• Private sector
Capacity building
support and
of institutions and Quality of services offered to tourists in East
institution 5 3 years 70,000 300,000 300,000 670,000
personnel working in Jerusalem is improved.
building.
the field of tourism.
• Raise the
quality of
tourism Palestinian tourism offer in East Jerusalem is
Developing alternative
products and more diversified and attracts increased number 1 3 years 100,000 100,000 100,000 300,000
Tourism in Jerusalem.
services. of tourists.
• Develop
and market
authentic,
Improve East innovative Marketing and
The tourism sector is characterised by: Jerusalem’s promotion of East Increase in the number of tourists and their stay
difficulties in accessing finance and credit and diversified 3 3 years 300,000 400,000 400,000 1,100,000
touristic tourism Jerusalem as a tourist period in East Jerusalem.
facilities in East Jerusalem; weak private competitiveness. destination.
sector institutional support and network; products and
poor physical conditions of hotels and services.
infrastructure; high land costs; property tax; Increasing the
onerous licensing procedures; municipal Developing accommodation
Increase in the number of tourists and their stay
negligence; human capital leakage to other and upgrading capacity and facilities in 4 3 years 35,000,000 35,000,000 30,000,000 100,000,000
period in East Jerusalem.
sectors or to establishments in Israel and the the tourism East Jerusalem (mainly
West Bank; access and mobility restrictions infrastructure in credit programmes).
and the isolation of East Jerusalem; lack East Jerusalem
of a unified marketing strategy; the need as well as Developing and
to support and develop tourist-related investment expanding the tourist Increased competitive capacity of the tourist
6 2 years 12,500,000 12,500,000 0 25,000,000
organisations; and, the need to develop and promotion. transport sector (credit transport sector in East Jerusalem.
diversify the tourism product. programme).
Advocate and
actively pursue
a sustainable
and favourable
environment Minimising
for socially leakages along Jerusalemite Coalition Dependence on non-Palestinian inputs in the
2 3 years 50,000 50,000 50,000 150,000
responsible the tourism value Initiative for Tourism. tourism activities chain is reduced.
profitable chain.
businesses, and
encourage a fully
engaged industry
and society.
Total Tourism Sector 48,020,000 48,350,000 30,850,000 127,220,000
 Economic Development Cluster
Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

Housing Sector

Rehabilitate
and renovate Preservation of
Improve deteriorated the architectural Preservation of the architectural heritage in
existing housing buildings and heritage in the City the city and rehabilitation of the residential 4 3 years 15,000,000 18,000,000 20,000,000 53,000,000
conditions. residential units and rehabilitation of buildings.
The housing sector is characterised by:
especially in the residential buildings.
discriminatory Israeli laws and urban
Old City.
planning policies; land and house
confiscations as well as house demolitions; Support the
major housing needs; insufficient land private sector The establishment of a
allocated for Palestinians; land ownership and encourage real estate development Availability of diverse housing units suiting the
and registration issues; construction and 1 3 years 10,000,000 20,000,000 20,000,000 50,000,000
investments company (private sector needs of Jerusalemites
licensing restrictions; weak financial in the housing investment).
resources compared to the high costs of sector.
building and land; leakage of capital to
Palestinian territories, reluctance of banks
to extend loans and financial services
Housing, mortgage and
to Palestinian investors and businesses Facilitate access
Increase credit company Available adequate funding with reasonable
in East Jerusalem; 20.5 percent of the to finance
Palestinian (Seed funding from terms for Jerusalemites in order to purchase real 3 3 years 5,000,000 7,500,000 7,500,000 20,000,000
houses inside the Old City are not fit to for housing
housing in East donors and private estate, for construction or renovation.
be inhabited and need total renovation; purposes.
Jerusalem. sector investors).
around 30 percent of houses in the Old
City need repair, and 11.4 percent need
extensions; and, the need for preservation
and renovation of the architectural heritage Support and
in the Old City. develop the
capabilities of Support and develop
More efficient and competent cooperatives and
civil society NGOs active in the 2 3 years 300,000 300,000 300,000 900,000
NGOs working in the field of housing.
organisations housing field.
working in the
housing sector.
Total Housing Sector 30,300,000 45,800,000 47,800,000 123,900,000

Total Economic Development 101,120,000 121,350,000 105,850,000 328,320,000

Plan for
Development
Multi Sector
Strategic
East

99
Jerusalem
 Human Rights Protection Cluster

100
Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

Citizenship and Human Rights

Existence of
Improve the
efficient and Capacity building of
capacities of
professional organisations and Institutions and individuals with ample
human rights
Palestinian individuals working knowledge and capacity in the field of human 2 3 years 96,000 96,000 96,000 288,000
activists and
human rights in the field of human rights of Jerusalemites.
organisations in
organisations in rights.
Jerusalem.
Jerusalem.
Provision of high
quality legal
and technical Provide legal Legal services
Jerusalemites assisted to achieve their rights. 1 3 years 540,000 540,000 540,000 1,620,000
services to the support. programme.
Palestinians in
Jerusalem.
Establish a
The Israeli laws, policies, plans and actions Documented consolidated
undermine Palestinian rights and deny their and credible database and Establishing an
self-determination. The citizenship and information coordinate information database
Credible and reliable information on human
human rights sector is characterised by: that reveal the information on violations of 3 3 years 66,200 61,200 61,200 188,600
rights violations in East Jerusalem.
the minor role of Palestinian human rights violation of sharing on Palestinian rights in
organisations in the city; the absence of a Palestinian rights violation of Jerusalem.
unified and comprehensive Palestinian vision in Jerusalem. Palestinian rights
regarding the strategies for protecting and in Jerusalem.
defending the rights of Palestinians in the Promote legal
city; the absence of an effective mechanism research and
for monitoring and documenting Israeli Increased studies pertaining Available information accessible by Jerusalemites
violations in East Jerusalem; the lack of Legal research. 3 3 years 64,000 64,000 64,000 192,000
awareness to the violation of about their rights.
efficient legal counsel; weak and ineffective among Palestinian rights
Arab, Muslim, and international support to Palestinians in in Jerusalem.
Palestinian rights; lack of awareness among Jerusalem about Raising human
Palestinians of their rights; and, poor civil their human Programme to raise
rights awareness Raising awareness of the local and international
society advocacy skills, particularly in terms rights. awareness on human
among communities on the human rights issues in 4 3 years 46,000 50,000 55,000 151,000
of using international law to address the rights of Palestinians in
Palestinians in Jerusalem.
occupation laws and policies. Jerusalem.
East Jerusalem.

Increase media
exposure of
Media and human Increased exposure in local and international
human rights 6 3 years 135,000 135,000 135,000 405,000
More effective rights violations. media of Israeli violations in East Jerusalem.
violations in East
mobilisation of Jerusalem.
the international
community Activate the use
Activating the uses
in support of of the principle International jurisdiction is used in terms of
of international 7 3 years 20,000 20,000 10,000 50,000
Palestinian of universal human rights violators in East Jerusalem.
jurisdiction.
human rights in jurisdiction.
East Jerusalem.
Support and Positive changes in the policies of countries and
Support and advocacy
advocacy international organisations in support of human 5 3 years 65,000 65,000 65,000 195,000
programme.
programme. rights issues in East Jerusalem.

Total Citizenship and Human Rights 1,032,200 1,031,200 1,026,200 3,089,600

 Human Rights Protection Cluster
Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

Urban Planning

Urban development
Narrowing the development gaps between the
and regeneration in 6 3 years 205,000 205,000 205,000 615,000
various neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem.
selected areas.
Exposing Israeli
Advocacy and To raise local and international awareness
discriminatory Alternative planning for
alternative regarding the risks of the Israeli discriminatory 6 3 years 123,000 123,000 123,000 369,000
policies against the “Holy Basin” area.
Palestinian planning policies in East Jerusalem.
Palestinians in
planning.
Jerusalem.
An urban monitor in East Jerusalem is
established that provides accurate and
Advocacy campaign. 3 3 years 2,000,000 2,000,000 2,000,000 6,000,000
sustainable documentation and publication of
the Israeli violations.

Preparation The preparation of An increase in zoned and allocated land to the

of structural, detailed structural Palestinians for construction and development 2 3 years 850,000 850,000 800,000 2,500,000
The sector of urban planning is characterised
detailed, and plans. purposes in East Jerusalem.
by: discriminatory Israeli planning and
policies; lack of approved urban plans Supporting the regeneration Rehabilitation and
obstructing the growth and development Palestinians urban plans in Renovation plan for the Old City is prepared and
renovation plan for the 4 1 year 500,000 0 0 500,000
of Palestinian neighbourhoods; deficient against the East Jerusalem ready for execution.
Old City.
landuse; increased housing density; a Israeli policies, to address the
fragmented urban structure; neglect of the through immediate
needs of the A Palestinian strategic framework to meet the
Palestinian urban economy; expropriation housing, social, Housing plan. 5 1 year 123,000 0 0 123,000
population. housing needs in East Jerusalem is developed.
and transformation of the Holy Basin; and, a and economic
discriminatory transportation system. planning
Pooling and
measures
networking Urban development
More competent, coordinated, and efficient
of legal and policy coordination 1 3 years 500,000 500,000 500,000 1,500,000
urban planning activities in East Jerusalem.
planning unit.
expertise.
Prepare for Develop a
Planning agenda
Jerusalem as Palestinian
and vision for East A Palestinian vision and an urban development
the capital of urban planning 5 3 years 410,000 410,000 410,000 1,230,000
Jerusalem as the framework for East Jerusalem is developed.
Palestine. framework for
Palestinian capital.
Jerusalem as
the capital of
Palestine in Regeneration of the
Revival of the traditional economic, cultural and
preparation for Palestinian urban centre 6 3 years 82,000 82,000 82,000 246,000
Plan for
Development
Multi Sector
Strategic

social centre in East Jerusalem.

statehood. in East Jerusalem.

Total Urban Planning 4,793,000 4,170,000 4,120,000 13,083,000

East
Jerusalem

101
 Human Rights Protection Cluster
Problem Statement Sector Objectives Strategic Response Programmes Outcomes Priority Duration First Year Second Year Third Year Total Budget

102
Environment
Wastewater treatment Availability of up to date study on
Reopen the issue of a wastewater
Reduce the options for East wastewater treatment options for East 6 3 years 410,000 410,000 410,000 1,230,000
treatment plant.
pollution Jerusalem. Jerusalem, with input from all parties.
affecting Develop a SWM strategic plan for
Palestinians in Jerusalem Governorate that would
East Jerusalem Sanitary landfill for
ensure providing a sanitary landfill Site selection for new landfill site,
and coming from East Jerusalem and its 2 3 years 820,000 820,000 820,000 2,460,000
serving Jerusalem. Governorate in line agreed with stakeholders.
East Jerusalem. surroundings
with the Palestinian National SWM
Strategic Plan.
Launch advocacy campaigns and take Advocacy for the closure Publication and publicising of an
Improve the legal actions for better environmental and rehabilitation of up to date study on closures and
5 3 years 410,000 410,000 410,000 1,230,000
behaviour of services with special emphasis on Abu Dis solid waste rehabilitation of Abu Dis Solid Waste
Palestinians in the closure and rehabilitation of disposal site. Disposal Site.
The environment sector is East Jerusalem Abu Dis waste disposal site by Israeli Value for money
authorities (Polluter pays). Advocacy actions for improved services. 7 3 years 123,000 123,000 123,000 369,000
characterised by: the Illegal regarding services.
dumping of waste; untreated care over the Reduce the quantity of solid waste Availability of market study and
wastewater discharge to environment. Solid waste recycling
arriving at the landfill site through recommendations for solid waste 8 3 years 82,000 82,000 82,000 246,000
wadis; air and noise pollution feasibility study.
encouraging recycling interventions. recycling.
from traffic; the use of an
Existence of a comprehensive SWM
inappropriate dump site at Abu Develop a SWM strategic plan for Strategic SWM plan for
Strategic Plan, with involvement and 1 3 years 205,000 205,000 205,000 615,000
Dis; insufficient SWM collection Jerusalem Governorate. East Jerusalem.
buy in from key stakeholders.
and street cleaning service;
inadequate sewerage networks; Implement a range of community-
lack of separation and based initiatives, coupled with
management of medical and education and awareness raising
hazardous waste; intermittency interventions, which will assist with Community-based
of water supply in some areas; physically cleaning up neighbourhoods, environmental Quantifiably cleaner streets. 4 3 years 123,000 123,000 123,000 369,000
lack of planned and dedicated both removing waste and its negative interventions.
urban parks and landscaped effects, and also giving communities
Improve a new starting point for waste
areas; and, a lack of Palestinian
Palestinian management and neighbourhood care
held data on environmental
capability in Existence of up to date database of
quality and services.
environmental Database on
environmental quality parameters, and
planning and environmental quality in 3 3 years 205,000 205,000 205,000 615,000
Provide an adequate information base qualified and competent institution to
management in East Jerusalem.
for improved environmental planning. operate it.
East Jerusalem.
Existence of database with up to date
data on environmental services.
Database on
environmental services Palestinian organisation with the 3 3 years 205,000 205,000 205,000 615,000
in East Jerusalem. capacity to maintain and update the
environmental database and ensure its
Establish partnerships with accessibility to others.
international environmental agencies
and NGOs. Database on protection of nature
Jerusalem urban wildlife in Israel translated into Arabic and
9 3 years 205,000 205,000 205,000 615,000
inventory survey. English, and available in format suitable
for Palestinian planning usage. .
Total Environment Sector 2,788,000 2,788,000 2,788,000 8,364,000

Total Human Rights Protection 8,613,200 7,989,200 7,934,200 24,536,600

Photo by Creative Ad

Appendix 2
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108
 ‫فلســـــــطـني‬

This project is funded Jerusalem Unit

by the European Union Office of the President