Group says plan to develop tourist sites in east Jerusalem will cement Israeli hold on city

Group says Israel plan to cement hold on Jerusalem

JERUSALEM — An Israeli government plan to develop parks, hiking trails and tourist sites in east Jerusalem will permanently change the landscape of the contested city and cement Israel’s hold there, an Israeli group charged in a report released Sunday ahead of the pope’s visit to the city.

The government has undertaken an ambitious eight-year plan that will dramatically alter the “holy basin” — the sensitive area in and around the Old City that is home to sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, according to the group, Ir Amim, which works for coexistence in Jerusalem.

The government has largely kept the plan secret, not soliciting input from the city’s Christians and Muslims or opening it to objections from the public, the group charges.

“It’s being done in a way that is opaque, with no public knowledge, without coordination with the churches or with the Muslim Waqf, in the precise opposite of transparent terms,” Daniel Seidemann, the Israeli attorney who founded Ir Amim, said Sunday. The Waqf is the custodian of Islamic holy sites in the city.

The park plan could destabilize Jerusalem and is “an act of colossal irresponsibility,” Seidemann said.

The Israeli government says the new development will benefit all of Jerusalem’s residents. An official in the prime minister’s office noted that under Israeli control, people of all faiths have had access to their holy sites in the city.

“The government will continue to develop Jerusalem, development that will benefit all of Jerusalem’s diverse population and respect the different faiths and communities that together make Jerusalem such a special city,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal statement from the government.

Stephan Miller, a spokesman for the Jerusalem municipality, said the city’s plans are “clear and transparent” and were part of efforts toward attracting tourists and “opening up Jerusalem for the world to enjoy.”

Israel captured east Jerusalem, including the Old City, in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it, a move not recognized by the international community. Palestinians hope to make east Jerusalem the capital of their future state, and the conflicting claims to the city constitute perhaps the most intractable facet of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The report came ahead of Pope Benedict XVI’s first visit to the Holy Land and to Jerusalem, beginning Monday. His visit could focus a spotlight on the dispute over the city. Palestinian activists have said they hope to use the papal visit to draw attention to their claims against Israel, including demolitions of Palestinian homes and construction of Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.

“Jerusalem cannot be the monopoly of one religion or one state,” said Anglican Rev. Naim Ateek, a Palestinian activist. “We hope that the voice of his holiness the Pope is that Jerusalem must be shared.”

Ir Amim said it obtained a leaked report from the government body in charge of the development projects dating from late 2008. Launched by a government decision in 2005, it is set to be completed by 2013.

The group described the construction of nine park areas around the holy basin, as well as promenades, trails for pilgrims, archaeological sites and tourist centers. Ir Amim put the yearly budget of the project at $18 million.

Government officials would not confirm the budget or the details of the project.

Some of the projects have been subcontracted to a private organization linked to the religious settlement movement. The group, called Elad, runs a network of archaeological sites inside the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, built atop the most ancient part of Jerusalem. The site is also known as the City of David, named for the Biblical monarch believed to have ruled there.

Elad opposes any division of Jerusalem as part of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, a position shared by Israel’s new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

The plan is also linked to the Jerusalem municipality’s announced intention to demolish several dozen Palestinian homes constructed in Silwan without legal permits to make way for parkland.

Palestinians say they can’t obtain permits and charge the demolition plan is part of an Israeli attempt to squeeze them out of the city. The U.S. has also criticized the planned demolitions.

The pope’s arrival comes at a time when Israel’s new hard-line government is under international scrutiny as its policies take shape.

Netanyahu has not endorsed the idea of an independent Palestinian state, the cornerstone of U.S. and international policy in the region, and his foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has drawn flak for dismissing recent U.S.-led peace talks.

At its weekly meeting Sunday, the Israeli Cabinet appointed Lieberman as Israel’s liaison to twice-yearly strategic talks held with the U.S. administration.