planning rights

American ambassador to Israel, David M. Friedman, visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City. May 15, 2017. (Rob Ghost/Flash90)

Forget the Kotel, Amb. Friedman. Go see Jerusalem’s Palestinian ghetto

Instead of going to the Kotel, go to the Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem and to the ghettos encircled by the separation wall. You will see a very different Jerusalem than the one you idealize. By Yudith Oppenheimer Dear Ambassador Friedman, Since your appointment as U.S. ambassador to Israel, you have exhibited a great deal…

By +972 Magazine May 2, 2018

View of the Arab village of Nahf in Northern Israel. (Hadas Parush/Flash 90)

Tearing down before building up

In order to create genuine housing solutions for Arab society in Israel, existing homes and developments must be retroactively licensed. Only then will it be possible to tackle illegal construction. By Moran Aviv and Mohammad Khaliliyeh Several months ago the government authorized a plan to narrow the huge economic gaps between Arab and Jewish citizens by equalizing part of…

By +972 Magazine August 4, 2016

Residents walk through the remains of their homes in the unrecognized village Dahmash, Israel, April 15, 2015. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

High Court to state: Why won’t you recognize Arab village?

Israeli authorities have for years refused to make a decision about Dahmash, leaving its residents without the most basic services and in constant fear of demolitions. Israel’s High Court of Justice this week granted the state 90 days to explain its decades-long refusal to even decide whether to recognize the Palestinian village of Dahmash, located in central Israel. Being…

By Rami Younis July 22, 2016

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Palestinian farmers search the remains of concrete shelters demolished by the Israeli military, A-Tuwani, West Bank, April 2, 2014. Seven shelters built in agricultural areas outside of the village belonging to different inhabitants of A-Tuwani were demolished on the same morning. (Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

High Court: Palestinians have no planning rights

By rejecting a petition by Palestinian residents of Area C, Israel’s High Court of Justice effectively cemented two separate planning regimes on the same plot of land: one for Jews, another for Palestinians. Israel’s High Court of Justice on Tuesday rejected a petition to grant planning authority to Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank…

By Haggai Matar June 12, 2015

Arab youth clash with Israeli riot police in Kafr Kanna, Israel, November 8, 2014. The protests took place after an Arab man from the village was shot and killed by Israeli policemen. (Photo: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Justice unlikely in deadly Kafr Kanna police shooting

Clashes break out in the town in northern Israel as police demolish local resident’s home. Knesset member warns of ‘consequences’ if the officer who shot Khair Hamdan isn’t charged. The Israeli Police’s internal affairs unit plans to close its investigation into the officer who was filmed shooting and killing Kheir Hamdan in Kafr Kanna last year, according…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man April 13, 2015

A member of Sariya family stands next to his family belongings in the village of Al-Mayta following a demolition in the Jordan Valley, Area C. (Photo by Activestills.org)

Court case challenges the building blocks of occupation

The Israel army almost automatically rejects building permits for Palestinians in 60 percent of the West Bank. One of the least sexy aspects of the conflict, a new court case aims to challenge the discriminatory regime of building permits and planning. The Israeli High Court of Justice on Monday will hear a petition asking to…

By Dahlia Scheindlin April 27, 2014