Beit Yehonatan, is just one dot on the map of new Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem, which features dozens of individual buildings and a number of complexes. Connecting these dots gives a clear picture of the effort the right is making to encircle the Old City with a ring of Jewish settlements. This effort is focused on two main tracks: One is purchasing Palestinian buildings and moving Jewish families into them; the other is initiating plans to construct Jewish neighborhoods in the heart of the Palestinian population. …
Palestinians in the city see the ring around them tightening in a clear and acute way: From the south—the City of David national park in Silwan and the homes of settlers from the Elad association; … From the east—the largest of all settler neighborhoods in the vicinity, Ma’aleh Zeitim. … From the north—despite the protests by the left, the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood is going up in Sheikh Jarrah; 40 Jewish families are already living there. …
Right-wing organizations estimate they need five to 10 years to change the reality irreversibly, as has happened in the large settlement blocs in the West Bank in the 17 years since the Oslo Accords. During the coming decade, the Jewish “belt” surrounding the historical basin in Jerusalem, whose center is the Old City, will be completed. Any future discussion of a permanent status agreement will have to take into account the facts that have been established on the ground. Access the full analysis>>
