Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Jerusalem facts

		3 - 9 July 2003 Issue No. 645 Region	Current issue Previous issue Site map
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

Jerusalem facts
"We will never concede Jerusalem. Never. As the prime minister of Israel, I am proud of the right to be Jerusalem's protector." (Ariel Sharon, Ha'aretz 30 May 2003)

* Since 1967 Israel has demolished more than 2000 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem under the pretext that they were constructed without a licence.
* In 2001, the Israeli Construction and Housing Ministry earmarked $5.1 million for settler security.
* Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are considered "permanent residents" in the state of Israel. Israel treats Palestinian residents as immigrants even though they were born in Jerusalem, live in the city, and have no other home.
* At least 66 per cent of Jerusalem is territory seized by force. Since 1967, Israel has confiscated more than 23,380 dunums of mostly Palestinian-owned land -- more than one third of East Jerusalem -- for the construction of Israeli settlements.
* The "Greater Jerusalem" Plan is a political concept aimed at strengthening Israel's vision of a metropolitan Jerusalem that stretches over 440 km2 and covers 30 per cent of the West Bank. Less than one quarter of this plan lies within pre-1967 Israeli borders.
* Between 1967 and April 2001, Israel's policy of "quiet deportation" in East Jerusalem has resulted in the revocation of 6,444 identity cards from Palestinian residents of the city. This figure excludes the dependent children of those who lost their ID cards.
* On 30 September 2002, US President George Bush signed the State Department Authorisation Act (H.R.1646) recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The bill (H.R. 1646) went further than all previous bills Congress has passed on Jerusalem.