A confidential EU report obtained by the UK Guardian makes the allegation that Israel is "actively pursuing the illegal annexation" of East Jerusalem.
Guardian:
The report states: "Israeli 'facts on the ground' - including new settlements, construction of the barrier, discriminatory housing policies, house demolitions, restrictive permit regime and continued closure of Palestinian institutions - increase Jewish Israeli presence in East Jerusalem, weaken the Palestinian community in the city, impede Palestinian urban development and separate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank."
US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has described the demolitions as "unhelpful" - there are 88 homes scheduled for demolition, all for lack of permits.
The permits game is one the Israelis have been playing for years. Israel issues only 200 permits a year for Palestinian homes and leaves just 12% of East Jerusalem available for Palestinian residential use.
These figures are a disgrace when you consider that Palestinians in the east represent 34% of the city's residents. In addition only 5%-10% of the municipal budget is spent in their areas.
The permits game is one the Israelis have been playing for years. Israel issues only 200 permits a year for Palestinian homes and leaves just 12% of East Jerusalem available for Palestinian residential use.
These figures are a disgrace when you consider that Palestinians in the east represent 34% of the city's residents. In addition only 5%-10% of the municipal budget is spent in their areas.
Guardian:
The EU says settlement are being built in the east of the city at a "rapid pace". Since the Annapolis peace talks began in late 2007, nearly 5,500 new settlement housing units have been submitted for public review, with 3,000 so far approved, the report says. There are now about 470,000 settlers in the occupied territories, including 190,000 in East Jerusalem.
The EU is particularly concerned about settlements inside the Old City, where there were plans to build a Jewish settlement of 35 housing units in the Muslim quarter, as well as expansion plans for Silwan, just outside the Old City walls.
The goal, it says, is to "create territorial contiguity" between East Jerusalem settlements and the Old City and to "sever" East Jerusalem and its settlement blocks from the West Bank.
There has been a concerted effort over time on the part of Israeli authorities to control the demographic balance in Jerusalem in favor of Jews. This has involved the use of rules and red tape to hamper Palestinian expansion.
Moreover land in East Jerusalem was taken (some 35%) and various financial incentives were then offered to encourage Jews to build there. These policies demonstrate a consistent effort to restrain Palestinian growth, while facilitating Jewish development whenever possible.
This has been going on for some time. To give an example by way of stats ... in the 1990's for every new residence built in Arab neighborhoods, 12 were built in Jewish areas. Building permits have been routinely denied on the basis of race. If Palestinians go ahead and build anyway they risk having their homes demolished.
For a related Guardian article titled 'World's Apart' - link here.
