September 16, 1998
An investigative report by Israel Television has found
that during the past year, Yasir Arafat’s Palestinian Authority has
financed the illegal construction of thousands of Arab homes in the Old
City section of Jerusalem. (The section where Judaism’s holiest sites, the
Temple Mount and the Western Wall, are situated.)
Yet the Clinton administration, which has been calling on Israel to
observe a “time out” on housing construction in parts of Jerusalem and the
administered territories, has still not publicly called on the Arabs to do
likewise.
In a report broadcast on September 10, 1998, Israel Television’s Channel One revealed:
A Palestinian construction surge can be seen in Jerusalem’s Old City. During the last
year, thousands of houses have been expanded in the Old City without licenses,
with Palestinian Authority financing.
A year ago, Channel One uncovered the PA’s plan for wide scale construction
within the Old City to the tune of millions of dollars. Today, we visited the area to
whether this plan is being implemented.
The picture emerging is that the Old City is being rebuilt. We were informed that
with the help of mysterious funds, the PA is financing the construction of thousands
of housing units. Most of the new housing units have been built without building
licenses. According to law, it is absolutely forbidden to build on top of existing
houses inside the Old City … Some houses have been built within one month.
In several conversations and meetings with American Jewish leaders
during the past year, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and U.S. Mideast
envoy Dennis Ross, when questioned, have acknowledged that
their call for a “time out” in Israeli housing construction in the
territories should also apply to Palestinian Arab construction. But they
have never publicly called for such an Arab “time out.”
Morton A. Klein, National President of the Zionist Organization of
America, asked: “It is disturbing that the Clinton administration publicly
demands that Jews should not build, while never publicly saying Arabs
should not build. When will U.S. officials tell Yasir Arafat, loudly and
clearly, that there should be a ‘time-out’ in Arab housing construction?
Or will they only acknowledge Arab construction when pressed by questioners
in conversations with Jewish leaders? It’s time for an end to the Clinton
administration’s double standard, in which the issue of legal Jewish
housing is constantly and publicly raised and condemned, while the issue
of illegal Arab housing is completely ignored.”
Other recent developments concerning illegal Palestinian Arab construction:
- An Israeli government study, which was obtained by the Jerusalem
Post (April 21, 1998), reported 701 new illegal Arab buildings in the
Judea-Samaria territories. “Illegal Palestinian construction” is
“rampant,” according to the Post, which noted that “Israeli officials have
charged the Palestinian Authority with encouraging illegal Palestinian
construction in an attempt to predetermine final status talks on the future
of the territories.” - The Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported on March 25, 1998, that
inspectors from the Interior Ministry recently found 1,291 construction
violations in Jerusalem, “mostly in east Jerusalem,” that is, in Arab
neighborhoods. “In most cases, the east Jerusalem violations consist of
the illegal construction of entire buildings and floors, while those in
[Jewish neighborhoods of] western Jerusalem are mostly additions of a room
or a balcony,” according to the report. The latest Arab construction
violations “come on top of thousands of east Jerusalem building violations
uncovered by the Jerusalem Municipality inspector,” Ha’aretz noted. - Prime Minister Netanyahu’s spokesman, David Bar-Illan, told the
Jerusalem Post (Nov. 21, 1996) that the Arabs in the territories “have more
than 10 times the number of buildings under construction at the moment than
those approved for the [Jewish] settlers.” - Over 2,600 illegal houses and apartments were built in Arab
neighborhoods of Jerusalem during 1995-1997, according to a Jerusalem
Municipality survey (Jerusalem Post, August 6, 1997). - Yasir Arafat is personally directing the PA’s effort “to purchase
real estate, land, and buildings in eastern Jerusalem, particularly
in the Old City and its surroundings,” the Israeli daily
Ha’aretz reported on July 28, 1997. The Jerusalem Post (Sept.17, 1997)
quoted a report by Israel’s security services that the PLO is “stepping up
illegal construction and purchasing property, and establishing alternative
educational, legal, and police services for Arabs in Jerusalem,” as part of
its campaign to establish its capital in Jerusalem. The Oslo accords, and
Israeli law, prohibit the PLO from operating in Jerusalem. - Ha’aretz revealed on June 27, 1997 that “30 new mosques have been
built illegally in Jerusalem during the past several years.” - One of Arafat’s cabinet ministers, Faisal Husseini, announced that
Saudi Arabia has donated $19-million “to build 600 Arab homes in Jerusalem
and strengthen their hold over parts of the city.” (Jerusalem Post, June
24, 1997). - Last year, Aharon Domb, the Secretary General of the Council of
Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, released photographs, video
surveillance, and maps showing during June-December 1996, Palestinian Arabs
had built more than 1,000 illegal buildings in “Area C,” which is the area
that is under Israeli control in the administered territories. (Ha’aretz,
Jan. 7, 1997)
