Har Homa

History

Post-1967

Since the Six-Day War in 1967 the area has been under Israeli occupation.

According to ARIJ, Israel expropriated 354 dunams of land from Umm Tuba for Har Homa in 1997, while from 1997 onward, Israel expropriated hundreds of dunams of Beit Sahour land for the same purpose.

Plans for residential development were drawn up in the 1980s, but were opposed by Israeli environmental groups working to preserve the open areas in Jerusalem. A primary aim was to complete the continuous Israeli encirclement in East Jerusalem by stopping a perceived 'hole' in this area, and thus hinder Palestinian development that would create linkage between Beit Sahour and Sur Baher. In 1991, Israeli cabinet minister Yitzhak Moda'i approved expropriation of the land, which was owned by a variety of private owners, both Israeli and Palestinian, on the basis of eminent domain for new building projects conforming to a master plan. Both Israeli and Palestinian landowners protested the land seizures and appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court, which denied their claims and ruled in favor of the government. The major landholder was David Meir, who then made an alliance with the Arabs whose land had been expropriated to block the development.

Part of the original land is said also to have been owned by the Greek Orthodox Church and allegedly either sold or leased after severe pressure was applied by Israel on church authorities.

After the first land expropriations in 1995, Arab states brought the case before the UN Security Council. In May 1995, a draft resolution condemning Israel was vetoed by the US. Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres initially approved construction plans for Israeli homes on the site, but postponed the groundbreaking ceremony to avoid conflict with Palestinians who were seeking to overturn the decision in the Israeli courts. In July 1995, the government decided not to proceed with construction.

On 19 February 1997, the newly elected Benjamin Netanyahu government approved the construction of the settlement. The Arab states again went to the Security Council. The General Assembly condemned Israel's actions, but two UNSC resolutions in March were again vetoed by the US. In October 2014, Netanyahu approved the construction of 400 additional units.

In 2020, Netanyahu announced another 6,200 homes in Har Homa, in a move which was seen "as an effort to solidify right-wing support", just days before the Israeli 2020 election.

Education and culture

In 2013, Har Homa had 12 kindergartens, 6 day care centers, 5 elementary schools, and 4 youth movement centers (Bnei Akiva, Ezra, Ariel and Beitar).

Demography

Most of the residents of Har Homa today are young families who moved there in search of affordable housing. When the Jerusalem municipality approved the initial 2,500 housing units in Har Homa, it also approved 3,000 housing units and 400 government-financed housing units in the Arab neighborhood of Sur Baher, which faces Har Homa. The plans were drawn up in 1994, but the approval process was stepped up in May 1997 as a counterbalance to Israeli development at Har Homa. Palestinian officials dismissed the project as a ploy aimed at deflecting international criticism.

Medical facilities

In 2013, Har Homa had 3 medical clinics.

Transportation

Egged bus lines connect Har Homa to downtown Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, the Malha Mall and Ramot.

Controversy

Israeli officials acknowledged that some Palestinian land was expropriated for the Har Homa neighborhood, but said that nearly 80% of the land taken for the project belonged to Jews. According to FMEP, Israelis own approximately 75% of the land. One-third of it was purchased before 1948, and the remainder during the occupation after 1967. Palestinians owned approximately 33% of the planning area.

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that Har Homa is within Jerusalem, and construction work does not constitute a change in the status of Jerusalem, in accordance with the Oslo Accords.

Views

Palestinian

Palestinians have for a long time thought that Israel attempted to tighten their control over Jerusalem by constructing Har Homa.

U.S. administration

In 1997, the U.S. vetoed two UN Security Council resolutions that called on Israel to stop construction work. The U.S. was the only country of the 15 members on the council to vote against the resolution. In a vote of 134 to 3, the United States, along with Israel and Micronesia, were the only countries among the 185 members in the UN General Assembly to vote against an April 1997 resolution demanding an immediate halt to construction at Har Homa. The previous month, a similar resolution condemning Israeli activity at Har Homa was passed 130 to 2, with only the U.S. and Israel voting against it.

While the United States has traditionally refrained from describing Jerusalem neighborhoods as settlements, in 2008, then U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was critical of building tenders in Har Homa announced after the Annapolis Conference meeting. She described Har Homa as "a settlement the United States has opposed from the very beginning".

In November 2010, the United States criticized Israeli plans to build new housing units in Har Homa.

European Union

In 2011, then EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was disappointed to hear that Israel was planning to expand Har Homa. She said in a statement that "the European Union has repeatedly urged the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem (...) All settlement activities are illegal under international law".

Archaeology

In 1997, archaeologists discovered a fifth-century Byzantine church near Har Homa whose octagonal design is thought to have been the inspiration for the Dome of the Rock. In the center of the church is a rock upon which Christians believe that Mary rested while on her way to Bethlehem to give birth to Jesus. The Church of the Kathisma (meaning "seat" in Greek) is mentioned in early Christian writings and was a pilgrimage site for Christians. The church was built by a Roman widow named Ikelia in the early fifth century. In the eighth century, the building was converted into a mosque. It was appears to have been used by both Christians and Muslims until its destruction, possibly in an earthquake in 749.

References

References

1. (2008-01-07). "Storm grows over Jerusalem settlement". BBC News.
2. (9 November 2010). "Israel plans 1,300 East Jerusalem Jewish settler homes". BBC News.
3. (1997). "Settlement Monitor". Journal of Palestine Studies.
4. Judah Ari Gross, [http://www.timesofisrael.com/american-officals-warn-of-change-in-israel-us-ties/ 'US officials: Washington could back UN resolution on Palestine,'] [[The Times of Israel]] 19 March 2015: 'the official referenced Netanyahu’s approval of construction in the East Jerusalem settlement of Har Homa to block contiguity between Palestinian-majority areas during his first stint as prime minister in the 1990s as proof that Netanyahu truly meant what he said. “It was a way of stopping Bethlehem from moving toward Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said at the time.“ To actually come out and say that this construction is actually driven by efforts to undermine a future Palestinian state is fairly dramatic,” said the official.'
5. Jody Rudoren, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150316190643/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/world/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-campaign-settlement.html ‘Netanyahu Says No Palestinian State if He Is Re-Elected,’] [[New York Times]] 16 March 2015.:’ Mr. Netanyahu said he had authorized that construction during his first term to block Palestinians from expanding Bethlehem, and to prevent a “Hamastan” for militants from sprouting in the hills nearby.’
6. Fendel, Hillel. (2007-12-25). "Jerusalem's Har Homa Waiting for Expansion". Israel National News.
7. [http://www.nbn.org.il/aliyahpedia/community-a-housing/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&Itemid=885&id=1618:homat-shmuel-har-homa Homat Shmuel]
8. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/world/middleeast/09mideast.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast Israel Plans East Jerusalem Housing (New York Times, Nov. 8, 2010)]
9. (10 December 2009). "The Geneva Convention". BBC News.
10. (9 November 2010). "Obama raps Israeli plans for 1,300 Jewish settler homes". BBC News.
11. [https://web.archive.org/web/20141112221332/http://vprofile.arij.org/jerusalem/pdfs/vprofile/surbaherumtuba.pdf Sur Bahir & Umm Tuba Town Profile], ARIJ, pp. 4, 14
12. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110304154512/http://vprofile.arij.org/bethlehem/pdfs/VP/Beit%20Sahour_cp_en.pdf Beit Sahour City Profile], ARIJ, p. 26
13. Amir Cheshin, Bill Hutman, Avi Melamed [https://books.google.com/books?id=RO0tafb62oEC&pg=PA58 ''Separate and Unequal: The Inside Story of Israeli Rule in East Jerusalem,''] Harvard University Press, 1999 pp.57ff.
14. [https://books.google.com/books?id=RO0tafb62oEC&dq=har+homa+david+meir&pg=PA57 Separate and Unequal, Amir Cheshin, Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed]
15. Patriarch Irineos I]] was "blocked" three times, "due to pressure exerted by government ministers and senior officials, municipal functionaries, businessmen, real-estate agents, financiers, building contractors, and international companies.'
16. [http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/cache/offonce/pid/11843 ''Jabal Abu Ghneim & Ras Al-Amud''] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-04-07 . Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, 20 May 1999)
17. Boston Globe, 5/1/98
18. ''[[The Origins and Evolution of the Palestine Problem]]''[https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/3DF99D9DCCB3B21F85257C62004B782F Part V] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-04-21 (1989 – 2000), chap. III, E. CEIRPP, 2014.)
19. (16 March 2015). "Netanyahu says no Palestinian state as long as he's prime minister". [[Reuters]].
20. [https://euobserver.com/foreign/128021 Netanyahu comments put EU relations in doubt], 17. Mar. 2015, euobserver
21. [https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/PA-on-east-Jerusalem-building-Such-unilateral-acts-will-lead-to-an-explosion-379950 PA on east Jerusalem building: Such unilateral acts will lead to an explosion] - Retrieved 27 October 2014
22. [https://www.nytimes.com./2020/02/20/world/middleeast/netanyahu-israel-jerusalem.html Netanyahu Announces New Homes in East Jerusalem, Days Before Election], Feb. 20, 2020, [[Isabel Kershner]], [[The New York Times]]
23. "Homat Shmuel (Har Homa)".
24. "Construction at Har Homa". Netanyahu.org.
25. Jerusalem Post, 5/23/97
26. Baltimore Sun, 5/23/97
27. [https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/01/world/tense-standoff-in-jerusalem-ends-but-nerves-are-taut.html ''Tense standoff in Jerusalem ends'']. New York Times, 1 March 1997
28. [http://www.fmep.org/reports/archive/vol.-7/no.-3/har-homa-at-a-glance ''Har Homa at a Glance''] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-04-14 . Settlement Report, Vol. 7 No. 3; May–June 1997; Foundation for Middle East Peace)
29. [http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/mfa-archive/1997/pages/har%20homa-%20legal%20aspects.aspx ''Har Homa, Legal Aspects'']. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 3 March 1997
30. (Jerusalem Post, 3/9/97)
31. (The Times, 4/26/97)
32. HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, HERB KEINON AND KHALED ABU TOAMEH. (October 2017). "Rice: US entirely opposed to Har Homa". The Jerusalem Post.
33. [https://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=194528 US slams approval of 1,345 new east J'lem homes (Jerusalem Post, Nov. 8, 2010)]
34. [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/146437#.TkLpSWE8kpM EU ‘Disappointed’ at Decision to Build in Har Homa (Israel National News, August 6, 2011)]
35. [https://www.jta.org/1997/11/13/default/christian-find-discovered-near-har-homa Christian find discovered near Har Homa]
36. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1997/11/22/legendary-rock-found-on-marys-path-to-bethlehem/f848df0e-ab96-4de2-9c6c-4ddb35d9f8c0/ Legendary rock found on Mary's path to Bethlehem], [[Washington Post]]
37. [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/travel/tourism-tip-399-the-kathisma-church-1.5302414 The Kathisma Church], [[Haaretz]]
38. [https://www.jpost.com/metro/the-mystery-of-the-kathisma-448827 The mystery of the Kathisma:Jerusalem's unique Christian holy site that gets no visits], [[Jerusalem Post]]