Page 10 - aruba-today-20180721

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 21 July 2018
Israeli east Jerusalem plan gets cool Palestinian reception

By TIA GOLDENBERG Schillat said there are indi-
Associated Press cations more Palestinians
JERUSALEM (AP) — A land- are looking to Israel for
mark half-billion-dollar Is- economic opportunities
raeli plan to develop Pales- rather than the West Bank
tinian areas of east Jerusa- or the broader Middle East.
lem and hoist residents out He said more people are
of poverty is getting a cool enrolling in Israeli universi-
reception from the very ties and colleges, more are
people who are supposed applying for citizenship and
to benefit. half of all employed Pales-
Israel says it hopes the pro- tinian east Jerusalemites
gram will improve living work in west Jerusalem or
conditions in impoverished surrounding Jewish towns.
Palestinian neighborhoods He said mistrust might be
and grant residents access alleviated once change is
to Israel's robust economy. seen on the ground.
But the city's long-neglect- Mohammad Owaida, an
ed Palestinian commu- east Jerusalem resident,
nity views the project with adviser to the Jerusalem
deep skepticism and mis- Affairs Ministry and a par-
trust, fearing it is a way of ticipant in the project, said
cementing Israel's control he is not concerned about
over the eastern sector af- In this Wednesday, July 11, 2018 photo, a shopkeeper waits for customers in the Muslim Quarter of the government's intentions
ter more than 50 years of the Old City in Jerusalem. so long as the project deliv-
occupation. Associated Press ers change.
"All these projects have "I don't care what (Elkin's)
nothing to do with improv- in a unified Jerusalem and most sensitive holy sites, as project is to encourage agenda is. I care about im-
ing our lives," said Ziad aspire to full sovereignty the capital of a future state. Hebrew language learning proving the lives of 400,000
Hammoury, who heads the must act with determina- Since 1967, Palestinian resi- and promote the adop- residents," he said, add-
Jerusalem Center for So- tion to govern on one hand dents of east Jerusalem tion of the Israeli school ing that he believed most
cial and Economic Rights, and to take responsibility have been eligible for Is- curriculum as opposed to people agreed with him
an advocacy group. "It's for developing infrastruc- raeli citizenship but most the Palestinian one, steps but were too frightened to
about controlling more and ture on the other," Zeev El- have not sought it, believ- organizers say are aimed speak up.
more in east Jerusalem." kin, the government's min- ing it would mean recog- at opening the doors to Is- Others say it is flawed be-
The "Leading Change" pro- ister for Jerusalem affairs, nizing Israeli rule. rael's economy. They say cause its conception didn't
gram, launched in May, said at the project's launch Instead, they have residen- the project will also ad- include a prominent role for
aims to reduce the huge in May. Elkin's ministry is ex- cy status, allowing them dress land-use issues, erect east Jerusalemites — few
social gaps between the pected to play a leading to work and travel freely commercial centers and of whom hold government
Palestinian neighborhoods role in implementing the in Israel. As non-citizens, increase access to public positions — although orga-
and the overwhelmingly program, and he is run- they do not vote in Israeli services. nizers say they consulted
Jewish western part of the ning for Jerusalem mayor in elections. Few use their resi- Lior Schillat, the director- frequently with residents.
city. After years of neglect, elections this year. dency rights to vote in mu- general of the Jerusalem The project's celebratory
Palestinian neighborhoods The program's designers say nicipal elections, a politi- Institute for Policy Research, launch, held at the Israeli
suffer from poor infrastruc- they recognize the political cal statement that denies called the program "his- president's residence, in-
ture, neglect and subpar sensitivities but contend the them a way to influence toric," saying it was the first cluded a number of Israeli
public services, and nearly economic benefits will be their daily lives. time an Israeli government dignitaries, but few Pales-
80 percent of the city's Pal- real. They say integrating Palestinians make up 37 was investing so heavily in tinian faces.
estinian families live in pov- Palestinians more into Israe- percent of Jerusalem's the area's economic de- "It's a great project but it
erty. li society will provide more population of 866,000. De- velopment. came too late and didn't
The program will invest 2 bil- opportunities. spite Israel's portrayal of In 2014, the government set include local representa-
lion shekels, or $560 million, "It's a population like every Jerusalem as united, there aside a special budget of tives," said Ramadan Da-
in education, infrastruc- other. It deserves to receive are stark differences be- 200 million shekels ($55 mil- bash, one of a handful of
ture and helping Palestin- public services like every- tween Arab and Jewish lion) for the area, a fraction Palestinians to ever run
ian women enter the work one," said Shaul Meridor, parts of the city. of the current project. for Jerusalem city council.
force. The money will be the head of the Finance West Jerusalem's tidy pe- The city spends 9 to 11 per- "Who knows east Jerusalem
spent on a variety of pro- Ministry budget depart- destrian malls and winding cent of its budget on Pales- like those who live here?"
grams, including nine pilot ment. "Economically, it is bike paths stand in jarring tinian neighborhoods, not Critics also say they've seen
projects, over five years just very clear to everyone contrast to the garbage- proportional to their popu- past Israeli attempts to ad-
with the aim of attracting that if we help this popula- strewn, pot-holed streets lation, said Meir Margalit, dress the needs of the city's
further government and tion to be in better shape, of east Jerusalem. Many a dovish former Jerusalem Palestinians falter.
private investment down they will benefit and so will Palestinians work in me- city council member. A "These are attempts to ba-
the road. everyone else." nial jobs in the west side, municipality spokeswoman sically entice the Palestin-
The program was instituted Israel captured east Jerusa- where salaries are higher said the city has made "un- ian population to waive or
by Israel's nationalist gov- lem in the 1967 Mideast war and work more plentiful. precedented" investments dilute their national identity
ernment. It opposes any and annexed it in a move A ring of Jewish neighbor- in east Jerusalem in recent as Palestinians and to go
division of the city but ap- that is not internationally hoods that Israel has built years. Israeli," said Daniel Seide-
pears to have concluded recognized. Israel consid- throughout east Jerusalem Organizers say they expect mann, a Jerusalem expert
that strengthening Jerusa- ers east Jerusalem an in- enjoy the same infrastruc- to see marked change highly critical of govern-
lem's Palestinian areas is divisible part of its capital, ture and development as brought by the new pro- ment policies.
also in Israel's interest. while the Palestinians seek the west side. gram within a few short His solution to east Jerusa-
"All those who truly believe the area, home to the city's One aspect of the new years. lem's problems?q