Jerusalem Planning Committee Delays Hearing Objections filed by Adalah in Cooperation with the Civic Coalition (CCDPRJ) on behalf of Palestinian Residents, Mayors and NGOs against the Eastern Ring Road
On 27 April 2009, the inspector designated by the Jerusalem District Planning Committee delayed hearing objections filed by Adalah, in cooperation with the Civic Coalition for Defending the Palestinians’ Rights in Jerusalem (CCDPRJ), on behalf of Palestinian human rights and community organizations and the mayors of Abu Dis, Izzariya, Suahara; and a group of Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, together with objections filed by individuals from affected Arab neighborhoods against Local Master Plan 4585/W for the Eastern Ring Road – Central Section. No new date for hearing the objections was scheduled.
The delay was made in accordance with a request made by the lawyers who represent the objectors, namely Adalah Attorney Suhad Bishara, who represents tens of Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem and a number of NGOs, as well as Attorneys Sami Arsheed and Ashraf ‘Adwi, who represent other objectors. The lawyers asked for a delay due to the fact no delegate from the local planning committee within the Municipality of Jerusalem, was in attendance at the hearing. Further, the local committee did not submit its written position towards the plan to the Jerusalem Planning Committee, as it should have. The hearing was attended by tens of objectors, community residents, law students from Al Quds University who are conducting research on how the Eastern Ring Road will adversely affect residents and how its construction violates international law, and representatives from the CCDPRJ and human rights organizations in Jerusalem.
The objection submitted by Adalah on 2 March 2008 demanded the cancellation of the plan, which is essentially intended to create an apartheid road that, if implemented, would confiscate vast amounts of Palestinian private property, isolate Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem from one other, and sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. The objection was filed by Adalah Attorneys Fatmeh El-‘Ajou and Suhad Bishara and Adalah’s Urban and Regional Planner, Hana Hamdan.
The plan is part of a broad project that encompasses East and West Jerusalem and contains two main sections, an Eastern and Western ring road. The ring road is planned on vast stretches of land (amounting to approximately 1,200 dunams), most of which would be expropriated from its private Palestinian owners. The planned route runs alongside the following Palestinian neighborhoods, to the west of the route: Sala, Jabis, Bashir, Sakriyat, Al-Qunbar, Hai al-Madaris, Umm Lison and Zur Bahar; and to the east the following Palestinian towns and neighborhoods: Abu Dis, Surhai, Sawahri Sharqiya and Sheikh Sa'ad. The Eastern Ring Road is the only remaining part of the project yet to be completed.
For more information on the objection, see: http://www.adalah.org/eng/pressreleases/pr.php?file=08_03_17.
