Article74 Magazine
A Solution for the “Forgotten” Village of Bir ‘Ona in Sight? On Thursday, 13 March 1997, elected representatives of the village Bir ‘Ona and their lawyer, Atty. Lea Tsemel met with Jerusalem Major Ehud Olmert in order to discuss the practical implications of the 1967 annexation of Bir ‘Ona by Israel. The village of Bir ‘Ona, numbering approximately 50 families, is located on the slopes of Gilo settlement, on the border on the West Bank town Beit Jala. When Israel, in 1967, drew the borders of the occupied Palestinian lands to be annexed to Jerusalem, Bir ‘Ona was included on the Israeli side. However, it seems that for years the Israeli Ministry of Interior and the Jerusalem Municipality did not know of the existence of the village Bir ‘Ona, and its residents were not recognized as “residents of Israel”. In the meeting with Major Olmert, the Mayor’s Advisor on Neighborhood Affairs, and the Legal Advisor to the Municipality, Bir ‘Ona residents explained their absurd situation. Although they are residents of Jerusalem, they cannot enter Jerusalem unless they obtain Jerusalem entry permits; many of them have been fined for “illegal presence in Jerusalem” by soldiers who stopped them in the street in front of their homes. Mayor Olmert stated that he recognized the urban rights of the residents and the responsibility of the municipality for their well-being. He promised that a zoning plan for Bir ‘Ona - a prerequisite for municipality building permits - would be approved as soon as possible (see also ARTICLE 74/17). |
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