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Jerusalem: February 2010 Archives

The Silwan-ization of Sheikh Jarrah

Sheikh Jarrah has been in the news a lot lately - settlers taking over houses, weekly protests against the takeovers, harsh action by the police against the protesters, etc..  But it is becoming clear that the settler takeover of the homes in Sheikh Jarrah is just tip of the iceberg. 

Recent developments suggest that the settlers and their supporters are working to apply the tactics they have successfully used in the takeover of Silwan (and other areas of the Old City's historic basin) in Sheikh Jarrah.  This means expanding the settler presence and settler dominance over the area not just through the takeover of homes, but through seizing control of the public domain (for the benefit of the settlers).  It also means working to shift the Israeli (and international Jewish) public perception of the area in order to make this Palestinian neighborhood part of the so-called Jewish "consensus" -- an area viewed as being home to core Jewish religious and historic equities that must never be left under Palestinian control. 

What we are seeing here is the Silwan-ization of Sheikh Jarrah.
 
Mayor to implement sealing orders on illegal structures built by both Jews and Arabs in east Jerusalem...The Peace Now movement said that "the Jerusalem mayor has turned into a collaborator with Israel's most extreme right-wing organizations."

by Ronen Medzini Published
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