Israeli Actions
Threaten Peace in the Holy City by Segregating the Quality of Life
The Israeli government is constructing Jewish only housing units along with
synagogues right in middle of very crowded Christian and Muslim quarters in
Jerusalem. These Jewish only homes inside the Old City of Jerusalem are meant to
control as much as possible of the Old City.
Since East Jerusalem was taken from Palestinians in 1967; Israel as a Jewish
state has refused to recognize Jerusalem as a pluralistic city and has purposely
taken measures in changing the demographic composition and continues to do
nothing to improve the way of life for Jerusalemites but overcrowding the UNESCO
world heritage site with Jewish settlers.
Extremist-orthodox Jews and an Israeli
soldier pray in Jerusalem
Israel’s strategy to inhabit
as much Palestinian land as possible with as few Palestinians as possible is
mostly apparent in Jerusalem. Christians and Muslims are excluded from the city
while additional illegal Jewish colonies are constructed in and around it.
Jerusalem is the city that holds national heritage for many Palestinian
Christians and Muslims and is also the center for their holy sites. It is the
spiritual, cultural, economic and social center of Palestine through out
history.
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) recognizes that Jerusalem is holy to
Christians, Jews and Muslims, and it cannot be exclusively for only one
religion. However, since Israel has closed off the Palestinian Liberation
Organization’s (PLO) office, the Orient House in the occupied city in 2001, the
Palestinians have no say in the city.
It’s very unfortunate and disappointing that the international community has not
done anything to hold Israel accountable for its violation of human rights and
international law, and to discourage Israel from going ahead with drastic and
inhuman measures against Palestinians.
BPNIC is working on bringing more attention to the issue as much as possible by
meeting with Brazilian diplomats and informing them of the threats to Jerusalem
as well as endorsing the enforcement of the Fourth Geneva Convention against
Israel.
