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The Unique Status of the Jerusalem Suburb of Wadi Hummus

(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Nadav Shragai - The Israel Supreme Court approved Israel's demolition of 12 buildings in the Jerusalem suburb of Wadi Hummus on July 22, 2019. Wadi Hummus is not included in the municipal territory of Jerusalem but is adjacent to it. The neighborhood was included inside the security fence at the request of the local Arab residents. They even appealed to the Supreme Court on the matter. Approving the demolitions of empty apartments, Supreme Court Justice Menachem Mazuz wrote, "Any building that is carried out in contravention of the order prohibiting building, even in Areas A and B, is illegal....The petitioners sealed their own fate when they began and continued building the structures...while ignoring the order." The construction of the security fence around Jerusalem, built in response to the wave of suicide bombings and terror during the Second Intifada, resulted in two kinds of "enclaves." The first comprises parts of Jerusalem that are outside the security fence, with 120,000-140,000 Arab residents. The second comprises areas that are inside the fence but outside the city's jurisdictional boundaries, with 7,000 Arab residents. The writer, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center and a veteran journalist, has documented Jerusalem for thirty years.
2019-08-12 00:00:00
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