Campaign for PALESTINIAN Right in Jerusalem

Organizing for Palestinian rights in Jerusalem is a complicated affair, not only because of the political situation, but also because of the socio-economic changes that have taken place under occupation. Palestinian institutions that have been involved directly or indirectly in political, economic, and even social affairs of Palestinian Jerusalemites have been closed.¹ The Israeli government refuses to allow any Palestinian activities in the city. Organizations that choose to become involved in activities face harassment and the threat of arrest of closure of their institution. Such was the experience of members of the Palestinian African community in the Old City, for example, when they attempted to stage a week of films and lectures about Jerusalem in cooperation with BADIL.

Not only have Palestinians suffered severe deterioration of the physical and economic infrastructure² in their community, they have also suffered a deterioration in their social infrastructure. Discrimination in the delivery of social services to Palestinian Jerusalemites in the absence of an alternative social service structure has resulted in a situation where Palestinians are forced to continue running after inadequate services provided by Israeli institutions which only enforce the occupation of the city. In this kind of climate, the entire issue of Jerusalem has been boiled down to the issue of how families will meet their basic social needs. This has led, in particular, to confusion regarding national identity among Palestinian youth in the city. Furthermore, this kind of climate can lead to a situation where existing Palestinian institutions view each other as sources of competition rather than a source of solidarity.

BADIL's Jerusalem Campaign which aims to raise awareness of Palestinian heritage and rights, inform the Palestinian public and leadership about the implications of Israel's policies of ethnic cleansing in the city, facilitate and support initiatives of protest, advocate for international and Palestinian policies which can protect Palestinian rights in Jerusalem, has confronted each of these problems. Colleagues have been threatened, institutions have expressed fear over losing their Israeli licenses due to the political nature of the campaign work combined with the fact that BADIL is not located in the city, and mobilization of active coalitions, therefore, continues to be difficult.

In light of these difficulties, the campaign has begun examining the potential impact of bi-lateral relationships rather than broad coalitions in order to facilitate activities that raise awareness and provide tools for Palestinian youth in Jerusalem. Programs with individual institutions, in the Old City in particular, will focus on community empowerment, including the development of individual and group leadership skills, Jerusalem history and geography, time management, and other related issues upon the needs assessment for each area and community. This program should serve as part of a wider program, which will include courses, workshops, film screenings, voluntary work, and other fields related to securing Palestinian rights in Jerusalem.

Summary of Aims
 

- To increase the awareness of youth about Jerusalem and related issues.
- To increase the involvement of youth in their community needs.
- To assist youth in acquiring a new productive way of thinking, analysis and positive criticism.
- To increase the scope of initiatives and creativity among youth.
- To have youth leaders that are able to be responsible for the next generations.

Footnotes:
1 Israel has prohibited Palestinian political activities in Jerusalem under the 1994 Gaza-Jericho Agreement Implementation Law (Limiting of Activities).
2 For example, there is an estimated shortage of 150 km of sewage lines in Palestinian neighborhoods while half of all school classrooms for Palestinians do not meet basic standards. Ha'aretz 25/3/99. For more on the deterioration of infrastructure in Palestinian Jerusalem see Anita Vitullo, "Israel's Social Policies in Arab Jerusalem," Jerusalem Quarterly File, no. 2 (Fall 1998), pp. 10-30. Also available at the JQF website,www.jqf-jerusalem.org.