Ir Amim’s Position

The building and development of the E1 area are not intended to serve the security needs of either Jerusalem or Ma’aleh Edumim. The settlement that is proposed to be built in this area differs in principle from the city of Ma’aleh Edumim -- both topographically, as well as in its anticipated ramifications. E1’s inclusion within the boundaries of the city was designed to give the impression that they are one and the same. But this is not the case.

Without prejudicing the status of the city of Ma’aleh Edumim as it is built today, Ir Amim maintains that it is necessary to preserve the uninterrupted territorial contiguity of the future Palestinian region with East Jerusalem , for the sake of the national interests of the State of Israel.

The permanent borders of the area should be determined in negotiations between the sides. Until then, no unilateral actions should be taken that could harm the feasibility of such negotiations.

For these reasons, Ir Amim objects to the building of the Separation Fence around E1, to the proposed construction in the area, and to the creation of a wedge between the West Bank and East Jerusalem .

About Ir Amim

Ir Amim (“City of Nations ” or “City of peoples”) was founded in order actively to engage in those issues impacting on Israeli–Palestinian relations in Jerusalem , and on the political future of the city. Ir Amim seeks to render Jerusalem a more viable city even under the dire current circumstances, while generating and promoting a more politically sustainable Jerusalem in the future.

Ir Amim is a professionally driven organization, unaffiliated with any political party or institution. It is comprised of professionals and lay activists -- attorneys, planners, architects, educators, social scientists and concerned citizens -- who are devoted to “ Jerusalem on a human scale.” That is, to a city shared by two collectives, Israeli and Palestinian, not only in the future, but today.

Ir Amim concentrates on three principle areas of activity:

* Exposing the complexity of East Jerusalem to wide audiences. Amongst other things, this is undertaken through guided tours of the area, including for Members of Knesset and high ranking government officials, journalists, the general public and many delegations from abroad.

* Preventing the creation of ”facts on the ground” that could deter the progress of negotiations regarding the future of the city. To this end, Ir Amim was recently instrumental in halting the use of the Absentee Property Law in East Jerusalem .

* Strengthening civil society organizations in East Jerusalem in order to bring about a more stable and egalitarian situation in the city.

Key members of Ir Amim include:

* Attorney Daniel Seidemann – Founder and legal adviser; expert on East Jerusalem issues.

* Prof. Elinoar Barzacchi – Chair of the Board; former Chief Engineer for the City of Jerusalem, and founding Dean of the School of Architecture at Tel Aviv University.

* Dr. Menachem Klein – Board Member; Senior Lecturer at Bar Ilan University , specializing in Palestinian political culture, Jerusalem and the peace process.

* Amos Gil – Executive Director; previously Executive Director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel .

* Sarah Kreimer, Deputy Director; founder and previous Co-director of the Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development.

The information and analysis in this paper are based, in part, on the following sources, to whom we offer our thanks:

* Architect Shmulik Groag – “BIMKOM, Planners for Planning Rights”

* “On the Slopes of Annexation” – a B’tselem Report, June 1999

* Menahem Klein: “Doves Over Jerusalem” – published by the Jerusalem Institute, 1999.