Israeli Persecution in Occupied Jerusalem: Physical and Structural Violence Employed to Change Jerusalemites' Identity.

• Author: Abdu, Ramy
• Position: COMMENTARY

Introduction

Despite being annexed by the Israeli government following the Six-Day war of 1967, Palestinians who manage to continue living in East Jerusalem (despite policies that pressure them to leave), are treated as second-class, 'less-than' citizens. Among the many indignities, they experience a wide variety of human rights violations, perpetrated by virtually all sectors of the Israeli government. These violations are not limited to direct violence (1) committed by Israeli authorities; they also include structural or 'indirect' abuses, such as discrimination and exploitation.

The direct violence practiced by Israelis includes murder, arbitrary detention, and the destruction (including bulldozing) of homes. Structural violence takes the form of procedures and laws that discriminate, enforce racial apartheid, and sow fear.

Documentation of these violations shows that the Israeli authorities employ the two types of violence in a distinctive manner designed to fragment Palestinian society, obliterate the Arab character of occupied Jerusalem, and create a new identity for the city that reflects that of the settlers transplanted there from all over the world. Israel's goal is clear: Erase the Palestinian presence through demographic replacement, in parallel with geographical and cultural change via the establishment of settlements, and Judaization.

This paper reviews the most prominent patterns of direct and structural violence practiced by Israel, and their effect on Palestinians, from a human rights perspective, and highlights the roles of the various components of Israeli society in perpetrating this violence.

Background

In June 1967, following the Six-Day war and Israel's seizure of the West Bank from Jordan, Israel held a census in the annexed area of East Jerusalem. Palestinians who happened to be absent at the time lost their right to return to their homes. Those who were present were given the status of 'permanent resident' of Israel -a legal status accorded to foreign nationals living in the country. Yet, most Palestinians were born there, along with their ancestors.

Permanent residency confers fewer rights than citizenship. While those with this status can live and work in Israel and receive social (such as health) benefits, they cannot participate in national elections or run for the office of mayor, although they may vote in local elections and compete for a seat on the city council.

When permanent residents marry someone who lives outside the annexed area, they must request permission for their spouses to live with them. That permission is rarely granted; in July 2003, the Knesset passed a law barring such spouses from receiving permanent residency, except in extreme circumstances.

Meanwhile, Israel designated huge swathes of Palestinian land within the municipal boundaries as 'open scenic areas' where development is forbidden. Only about 15 percent of the land area in East Jerusalem is zoned for residential use for Palestinian residents, although in 2016 they accounted for an estimated 40 percent of the city's population.

The remaining portions of this report focus on the methods used by the Israeli government and its allies to force Palestinians to leave East Jerusalem.

Direct (Physical) Israeli Violence

There are many forms of direct, physical violence practiced by Israeli authorities against the Palestinians in Jerusalem. In fact, there isn't any form of violence that the Israeli authorities have not perpetrated. The most common and pronounced forms of violence will be discussed below.

Occupation of Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the largest Palestinian city and is situated in the West Bank in the center of Palestine. It is about 60 km East of the Mediterranean, about 35 km West of the Dead Sea, and 250 km North of the Red Sea.

In December 1917, Jerusalem (until then governed by the Ottoman Empire) fell to the British army. The League of Nations granted all of Palestine to Britain under a special mandate, with Jerusalem as the capital (1920-1948). Ever since, the number of Jewish immigrants moving into the city has soared.

Following the termination of the British Mandate in Palestine and the withdrawal of the UK forces, Jewish forces announced the establishment of the Israeli state on the Palestinian territories. On December 3, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, declared West Jerusalem the capital of the nascent state. The eastern side of Jerusalem was designated Jordanian. That did not change until the Six-Day war resulted in the entire city falling under Israeli occupation in June 1967. It was then that the Israeli government adopted a number of measures to unify the two parts of the city, extending Israeli civil law to East Jerusalem.

In 1980, Israel passed its Basic Law, which -although it didn't officially declare the annexation of East Jerusalemde facto annexed it. The law declared the united city the capital of Israel and established it as headquarters for state institutions.

On December 6, 2017, the U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed that move by officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The following year, on May 14, the American embassy was moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, despite Palestinian rejection and opposition.

It is this occupation that is the most significant form of direct physical violence, implemented with force...