Jerusalem Pulse: Recent Research Roundup

Jerusalem Pulse is a periodic digest of the latest research shedding light on the multifaceted issues surrounding the lives of Palestinians of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem Story has curated a selection of key articles, papers, and reports by researchers and relevant NGOs, both local and international, that offer insight into some of the exceptional challenges faced by the Palestinians of Jerusalem.

This roundup aims to monitor and document trends as they unfold over time and will serve as a vital resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the evolving dynamics, geopolitical developments, socioeconomic trends, human rights concerns, and scholarly analysis concerning the Palestinians of Jerusalem.

Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association released a report highlighting the deliberate targeting by Israel of prisoners under the exchange between Israel and Hamas last November, as part of an ongoing approach to retaliate against the liberated prisoners. The report, published February 26, 2024, cites past exchange deals between the Israeli government and Palestinian political parties, where released prisoners have been rearrested, in violation of the terms of the agreement.

As for the latest exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, eight of the released prisoners have been rearrested as of the date of Addameer’s report, while others were summoned for investigation. The systematic targeting of released prisoners also includes targeting their homes and families, according to Addameer. It is further mentioned that the basis for many of these rearrests is “what the Israeli authorities claim to be ‘secret files’ that they present as evidence, based on which the released prisoners are prosecuted and returned to serve their previous life sentences.”1

Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) recently released a report titled “Death in Israeli Prisons,” summarizing the information gathered since October 7, 2023, about the deaths of Palestinian detainees in the custody of the Israel Prison Services (IPS) and the Israeli army. According to the report, published March 27, 2024, more than 10 prisoners have died since October, with 5 of them undergoing autopsies conducted by PHRI physicians, revealing severe signs of violence and assault, medical issues, and instances of medical neglect. The report provides a list of 10 detainees and prisoners who died in IPS custody across various prisons, with personal details such as name and age, along with the likely cause of death.

Ir Amim released, on February 29, 2024, an analysis paper entitled “Sparking the Next War? Any Restrictions to Al Aqsa Imposed during Ramadan Will Violate Muslim Freedom of Worship and Liable to Foment Unrest.” The paper examines the unprecedented collective entry restrictions to the Haram al-Sharif that Israel has imposed on the Muslim public since October 7, 2023, and their implications in the lead-up to the holy month of Ramadan, which began this year on March 10, 2024, and lasted until April 9.

In response to claims about the application of a quota for worshippers allowed to enter the al-Aqsa Mosque, the report underscores that there has never been a quota set in the past for worshippers on the Holy Esplanade based on so-called safety precautions during Ramadan or any other time. In contrast to the severe restrictions placed on Muslims since October 7, 2023, the report draws attention to the unfettered access that Jewish visitors and Temple Movement activists still have to the Haram al-Sharif. The report highlights:

Peace Now released a report highlighting the role of the Jerusalem municipality in fueling tensions and “bringing Jerusalem to the brink of explosion,”3 in the weeks leading up to Ramadan and the municipal elections. The report highlights the escalating actions carried out by the Israeli municipality and government against Palestinians, including killings, home demolitions, settler raids, and restrictions on entry to the al-Aqsa Mosque.

The report further emphasizes the municipal context of the issue of prayer at the Haram al-Sharif compound and its political exploitation in electoral campaigns to showcase achievements in the “struggle against Muslims.” Other municipal activities also “reflect the strong political desire of some municipal actors to demonstrate their support for Jewish control in the eastern part of the city,”4 according to Peace Now.

In a recent alert, Ir Amim and Bimkom reported a 70 percent increase in the rate of demolitions of Palestinian homes by the Jerusalem municipality since October 7, 2023, when Israel declared war on Gaza and the country passed emergency laws that remain in effect. The alert focused on the recent home demolitions in al-Walaja and al-Bustan (Silwan) where some 100 Palestinian homes are at risk of demolition, and more than 1,500 Palestinians are under threat of displacement due to Israeli plans to establish an Israeli tourist and Judeo-centric, biblically themed archaeological park in the area.

Amid the lack of state planning and regularization of residential development, the report highlights the efforts of the Palestinian community in al-Walaja to initiate a zoning plan, which was submitted to the planning authorities last year. Since the planning process is advancing, with an ongoing principle appeal pending before the Supreme Court that provides interim protection for 38 homes until a ruling is made, the report calls on a demolition freeze to be extended to all homes in al-Walaja.

The Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) reported on Israel’s plans to advance more than 3,000 new settlement units in response to an attack perpetrated by three Palestinians near the Ma‘ale Adumim settlement, east of Jerusalem. The plan was announced, on February 22, 2024, by Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister and the de facto governor of West Bank settlements, who called it a “security response to the attacks.” The majority of these units will be built in the Ma‘ale Adumim settlement, while the rest will be located in the Kedar and Efrat settlements, which cut off Jerusalem from the southern West Bank.

FMEP added that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is pushing for the government to respond with more than just settlement approvals, calling for more restrictions on Palestinian movement and more weapons for Israeli citizens.

In a report titled “Billions for Settlements in the 2024 Budget” (released February 22, 2024), Peace Now reported that the Israeli government is poised to approve a 2024 state budget that allocates a substantial amount of funding to the settlement enterprise. According to Peace Now, which dissected the only available—and incomplete—draft, the proposal includes the allocation of $203 million to the settlements, which presents a $107 million increase from last year. In addition, $112 million will be allocated for specific settlement plans, including Elad tourist sites in East Jerusalem and a plan to strengthen Israeli control over the Old City Holy Basin (see What Is the Holy Basin, and Why Is It So Significant?).

Terrestrial Jerusalem updated its “Insiders’ Jerusalem’s Settlement Report,” which tracks settlement plans in East Jerusalem, on February 6. The report is a table (initially published as part of the Foundation for Middle East Peace’s Weekly Settlement and Annexation Report, February 9, 2024) of all of the significant settlement schemes in East Jerusalem that are being currently expedited.

The table demonstrates the intensity of the pace of settlement advancement, which is hard to track even for those who follow these developments. Hence, the report aspires to document the relevant developments as they occur and serve as a reference and overview of the more general trends that have emerged in East Jerusalem. It also allows those who monitor settlement activity to access the relevant documentation and maps, and to prioritize the plans that are most consequential, while identifying means of engaging on them.

Published in the Journal of Palestine Studies, the article “Outside the Locus of Control: Palestinian Digital Archives Resist Israeli Settler-Colonial Erasure” by Roxy Moon examines Palestinian digital archiving in the context of the Israeli regime’s settler-colonial suppression and erasure of Palestinian knowledge. Looking closely at the efforts of several digital archives, the author argues that Palestinian digital archival projects, despite structural and technical limitations, serve to safeguard Palestinian knowledge and histories from Zionist violence and attempts at erasure.

Noting examples of Israel’s looting, destruction, and closure of physical Palestinian archives on the ground, the author contends that researchers should use digital archives alongside materials obtained from Israeli colonial archives. This approach is proposed to challenge prevailing Zionist narratives, which often distort historical truths, and to address knowledge gaps in the ongoing struggle for Palestinian liberation.