Israeli Policy in East Jerusalem

In 1973, the Israeli government adopted the recommendation of the Interministerial Committee to Examine the Rate of Development in Jerusalem, which determined that an effort should be made to maintain the relative proportion of Jews and Arabs in the city as it was at the end of 1972, that is, 73.5 percent Jews, and 26.5 percent Palestinians. Over the years, all Israeli governments have affirmed that goal as a guiding principle of establishing policy on Jerusalem. Since the natural rate of growth in the Palestinian population is higher than in the Jewish population, it was clear that the government and the Jerusalem Municipality would have to take measures to maintain this ratio.


Israel's efforts in this regard were varied:

• Discrimination in planning, building and expropriation of land;
• "The Quiet Deportation" - revocation of residency of Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem;
• Revocation of social rights and health insurance;
• Neglect of infrastructure and services in Palestinian neighborhoods.