InsIDe: - Palestine Solidarity Campaign

spring2011 activismpalestine news 7Campaign for JerusalemThe PSC is to launch a new campaign to urge the world to uniteto save Jerusalem as a shared city and the future capital of aPalestinian state.All Palestinian lives are affected by Israel’s occupationbut in Jerusalem — Al Quds as it is known in the Arab world —Palestinian life and culture faces complete obliteration. Even theEU Heads of Mission — the consulates based in Jerusalem andRamallah — have been moved to voice their serious concerns,saying that if “current trends are not stopped as a matter of urgency,the prospect of East Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinianstate becomes increasingly unlikely and unworkable.”Jerusalem has always been central to Palestinian economic,social, cultural, political and, of course, religious life so to cut outJerusalem would cut the heart from Palestine. The city is alsosacred to all Muslims, Christians and Jews and the campaign hopesto foster the support of people of all faiths and of none.One of our first steps will be to launch a petition in late Spring.We will be asking branches to develop and extend links with faithcommunities, along with other activities, to deepen and broaden thebacking for this initiative.The official launch of the campaign will be on 28 June to coincidewith the anniversary of Israel’s illegal annexation of East Jerusalemin 1967. We will be asking people in civic and religious circles totake a stand against the persecution of Palestinians in Jerusalemand we will ask for action from political leaders to work to:• Protect Palestinians’ right to live in Jerusalem• Prevent house demolitions• Stop illegal settlement growth• Safeguard freedom of worship for all faiths• Recognise Jerusalem as a shared city and future capitalof a state of Palestine• If you want to get involved, please contact:Sara Apps, PSC Campaigns Officer:020 7700 6192 / 07870 219 512• Box BM PSA, London WC1N 3XXSettlement construction condemnedIsraeli plans to expand significantly the East Jerusalemsettlement of Gilo have been emphatically condemned by theEU and even the United States. European Union Foreign PolicyChief, Catherine Ashton, said she was “deeply disappointed” bythe move.“The actions taken by the Israeli government contravenerepeated and urgent calls by the international community, includingthe Quartet, and run counter to achieving a peaceful solution thatwill preserve Israel’s security and realise the Palestinians’ right tostatehood,” she said.“I reiterate that the EU considers that settlement activities in theWest Bank, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under internationallaw, undermine trust between the parties and constitute an obstacleto peace.”A statement from the United States said, “not only are continuedIsraeli settlements illegitimate, Israel’s actions run counter to effortsto resume direct negotiations.”But hours before he left for a visit to Washington in March, PMBinyamin Netanyahu said Israel would not restrict construction inEast Jerusalem. He told his cabinet: “As far as we are concerned,building in Jerusalem is like building in Tel Aviv.”The Jerusalem Planning and Building Committee recentlydiscussed the construction of 942 housing units in Gilo. The planhas already been approved at district level. The new development,called Gilo: Southern Slopes, will include public buildings,commercial buildings, roads and parks.Gilo currently has a population of 40,000. The new project willextend it towards the Har Gilo settlement and begin the process ofphysically linking the large settlement community in East Jerusalemto Israel.The Jerusalem Municipality has also decided to transform apolice station in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Ras al-Amudinto a settlement outpost with approval for the construction of 14housing units.The building has been given to a religious settler group. Asettlement financing group, known as the Buhkran Trust, haveplans to build 104 apartments plus a synagogue, kindergartens,a swimming pool and an overpass that would link it with anotheroutpost in Ras al-Amud that houses 200 settler families.Zoning in East JerusalemDemolitions in East Jerusalem, 2000-2010