300,000 Palestinians’ “harsh reality” ignored ─ ACRI

Edited excerpt, re-reporting by Carolyn Bennett
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel released a report today updating information on human rights violations in Occupied East Jerusalem where, at the end of 2009, approximately 303,400 Palestinians ─ 36 per cent of the city’s 835,500 total population ─ lived.

Israel seized and occupied the West Bank including East Jerusalem in 1967. The international community condemned these actions. The United Nations declared them illegal under international law. Release of the Association for Civil Rights’ report precedes Israel’s scheduled celebrations marking the 43rd anniversary of Israel’s aggression against East Jerusalem.

In the report:

Ninety-five thousand children languish below the poverty line

Less than 50 percent of schoolchildren attend public schools
A thousand classrooms are missing
Dropout rates are at 50 percent

Only three Social Service Stations operate in East Jerusalem (20 in the West)

Eighty homes were demolished in 2009 leaving 300 people with no roof over their heads
The Interior Ministry has escalated revocation of Palestinian Jerusalemites’ residency status

Fifty-km shortage of drainage pipes
Regular sewage overflow creates environmental hazards
Hundreds of streets receive no garbage collection services
Eight post offices operate in East Jerusalem (42 in West Jerusalem)

Community leaders and activists are pressure, harassed
Palestinian NGOs are shut down for undisclosed security reasons

Jerusalem residents suffer long waiting periods at checkpoints
These barriers and humiliations violate commitments made by the State to the High Court of Justice

“This past year East Jerusalem has been on everyone’s agenda, making headlines in Israel and abroad,” The Association for Civil Rights writes. “Unfortunately, despite all this attention, the harsh reality of everyday life of 300,000 Palestinian Jerusalemites remains unknown, ignored by both the authorities and the public.”

Sources and notesDetails and media inquiries to Ronit Sela, ronits@acri.org.il; http://www.acri.org.il/eng/story.aspx?id=722
“Human Rights in East Jerusalem: Facts and Figures 2010”

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel founded in 1972 takes the mandate of ensuring “Israel’s accountability and respect for human rights, by addressing violations committed by the Israeli authorities in Israel, the Occupied Territories, or elsewhere.” ACRI’s work encompasses litigation and legal advocacy, education, and public outreach as the most effective way in which to build toward a long-term vision of a just and democratic society that respects the equal rights of all its members. It holds that “as a fledgling democracy without a constitution and an increasingly segmented and polarized society, Israel needs an organization such as ACRI that is committed to promoting the universality of human rights and defending the rights of all, regardless of religion, nationality, gender, ethnicity, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background. As an independent and non-partisan organization, ACRI uses this multi-pronged strategy to advance the concept of civil and human rights as an integral part of democratic community building and as a unifying force in Israeli public life.”

Also: “Poverty ‘widespread’ in East Jerusalem,” May 10, 2010, http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201051081849739152.html