Palestinian groups protest Jewish moves in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, June 9 (JTA) — Israelis and Palestinians have renewed their tug- of-war over eastern Jerusalem. Tensions increased this week, as Palestinians held near-daily protests against actions by Jewish groups to extend their territorial claims in the disputed section of Israel’s capital. On Tuesday, Israel’s Housing Ministry approved a yeshiva’s request to build housing on the Mount of Olives. The request by the Beit Orot Yeshiva had been first presented in 1994. The plan, which is likely to provoke court challenges by Palestinians and Israeli peace groups, must still receive permits from officials at City Hall. Local officials took a first step toward approval when the Jerusalem District Planning Board approved a change in the zoning status of the yeshiva, opening the way toward the construction of dozens of housing units. The commission also approved the building of an Arab girl’s school and hundreds of Arab housing units elsewhere in eastern Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority condemned the preliminary approvals granted the yeshiva. The Palestinian minister of higher education, Hanan Ashrawi, condemned the move, which could lead to the construction of some 58 units, as an example of Israeli “arrogance.” Just one day earlier, clashes erupted in eastern Jerusalem after a Jewish group known as Elad took over buildings in the predominantly Arab neighborhood of Silwan. At least two people were injured during the stone-throwing melee, including the top Palestinian official in Jerusalem, Faisal Husseini. Some 20 members of Peace Now who arrived at the scene to protest the actions of Elad were later dragged away by police after they refused to disperse. Elad members, who strung barbed wire around the contended sites, claim they held legal title to the buildings and that Israeli courts had recently ruled in their favor. Officials in the Prime Minister’s Office also maintained that the group had legally purchased the properties. Palestinian official Saeb Erekat warned of “grave consequences” if the group was not evicted. According to Israeli peace activists, some 16 Jewish families currently live in Silwan, which is home to about 30,000 Arabs. Monday’s clashes coincided with the start of exploratory excavations by Israeli officials within Jerusalem’s Old City. The Palestinian Authority condemned the start of the dig at a site where a fervently Orthodox group wants to build Jewish housing. The Ateret Cohanim group funded the excavations, which are required under Israeli law before construction permits are granted in Jerusalem. Last month, Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert ordered that temporary structures erected by the group at the site be torn down. Palestinian officials have become increasingly angry over what they see as unilateral moves aimed at expanding the Jewish presence in predominantly Arab eastern Jerusalem. Last week, after Israeli authorities demolished six buildings in and around eastern Jerusalem that they said had been built without permits by Palestinians, Husseini called for mass protests. “We must make the public aware of the need for collective movement,” he was quoted as saying.