The impact of the current situation on the human rights of the vulnerable Palestinian groups In East Jerusalem
Date
2017-02-03
Authors
Dhaher, Safa Husni
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Published by the Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung Palestine & Jordan office
Abstract
The Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs) has conducted this research to
better understand the impact of the current political situation on
the human rights’ issue of Palestinians in East Jerusalem in general,
and of the vulnerable groups in particular. In doing so, this study
analyzes the current situation of East Jerusalem from different
perspectives: political, social and economic, using the case study
and life story approach, in addition to in-depth interviews with key
informants. The research observations highlight the complexity
of the current geopolitical context of East Jerusalem such as the
annexation, the construction of the Jewish settlements and the
separation Wall, as well as the Israeli policies that discriminate
against the Palestinian Jerusalemites. The analysis identifies on the
one hand, the imposed Israeli measures that violate human rights
at different levels, and on the other hand, the structural macrosocial
forces in the Palestinian society that influence the level of
respect of human rights, in order to differentiate between what’s
imposed by the state of Israel and what is culturally inherited.
The study concludes that the vulnerable groups are subjected to
these two levels of violations in a way that makes the mission of
advocating for them more complex. The study also differentiates
between the Israeli policies that are comprehensive for all the
Palestinian Jerusalemites; i.e. the regulations of the “Permanent
Residence” status, and those that were set for particular areas or
circumstances such as the policies regarding the areas within the
municipal boundaries but outside the segregation wall, and the
collective punishment to a certain group of people. Furthermore, the
analysis highlights the important role played by the Palestinian civil
society organizations that emerged and developed in the absence
of the state, discussing their history, challenges and scope of work.
A short discussion is also introduced over foreign aid and the vital
role played by International Organizations. The study recommends
that the intervention of the international community at the political
level is essential in order to promote the respect of the rights for the
vulnerable Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem.
Description
Keywords
East Jerusalem , Israeli Policies , Human rights , Vulnerable Groups , CSOs