Dear Friends,
Yesterday, July 28th, Ir Amim Executive Director Dr. Yudith Oppenheimer was invited to speak before the UN Security Council on the topic of the impending threat of displacement facing four Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem.
Her powerful speech detailed the threat of eviction for residents in Sheikh Jarrah and Batan al-Hawa Silwan and looming demolitions of homes in al-Bustan and al-Walajeh.
Yudith explained to the Council that in order to prevent these families from losing their homes:
"The Israeli government must be urged to:
- Immediately cease all demolitions and evictions of Palestinian families
- Advance proper urban planning and equitable housing policies in East Jerusalem
- Ensure the provision of fair and adequate services to all of the city's residents
- Safeguard both peoples' rights to their homes and the city and recognize their historic, religious and political attachments to Jerusalem.
- Engage with the Palestinian national leadership and together, with the support of the international community, foster conditions for a sustainable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in line with international law and UN Security Council Resolutions, including Resolution 2334.
In the absence of a political agreement in the foreseeable future, the two peoples in Jerusalem will continue to share a complex urban reality predicated on symbiotic relations and interdependence. Given the current reality, dialogue and cooperation must be cultivated, and measures that exacerbate tension should be avoided."
To read the full text of Yudith's speech, click below:
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To view a recording from the Council session, click below. Yudith's speech begins at the 21:40 timecode.
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Want to learn more about Ir Amim's work? Watch our virtual discussions below:
- An Annexed Jerusalem: Settlements, Society, and Separation, featuring Ir Amim's Senior Field Researcher Aviv Tatarsky and Palestinian East Jerusalemite cultural leader Mahmoud Mouna.
- From "United" Jerusalem to Greater Jerusalem: Annexation 1967-2020, featuring acclaimed professor of policy, Menachem Klein, and East Jerusalemite civil society & social justice activist Nivine Sandouka.
- Ir Amim and Breaking the Silence - A City Annexed Together, featuring Breaking the Silence's Executive Director, Avner Gvaryahu, Ir Amim's Executive Director, Yudith Oppenheimer, and Hoqoqna - Our Rights' Executive Director, Nivine Sandouka.
- A Conversation with Prof. Naomi Chazan and Atty. Ziad AbuZayyad, featuring former Palestinian Authority minister, Atty. Ziad AbuZayyad, and former Israeli Knesset member Prof. Naomi Chazan, exploring the long-term effects of the Trump days and if we have better days ahead.
- Silwan & Sheikh Jarrah: Not a 'Real-Estate' Dispute, Ir Amim's virtual conference on measures of mass displacement of Palestinians from East Jerusalem.
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