ACRI Forces Jerusalem Municipality to Repair East Jerusalem Road

Photo Credit: Hagai Agmon Snir via Wikimedia Commons

NIF’s flagship grantee, The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) successfully appealed to the Jerusalem Municipality to repair a road damaged during one of the many home demolitions that have become routine in the neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. The road, which serves as the main access route for the neighborhood of Ras Khamis and services two local schools, had recently been repaved. But on June 24, police and officials from the Jerusalem municipality arrived to demolish a nearby home. In the process, they severely damaged the road, rendering it unsafe for drivers and impossible to traverse for the neighborhood’s elderly and disabled inhabitants. Residents repeatedly requested that the municipality repair the damage but were ignored. 

That’s when ACRI stepped in. The organization submitted an appeal, arguing that the conditions and the municipality’s disregard for the community’s repeated requests violated the fundamental rights of the residents. In response, the Jerusalem Municipality announced that it would repave the road.

Palestinians living in East Jerusalem face a unique set of challenges compared to those experienced by other communities living in the West Bank. They have the status of “permanent resident” within Israel, which means that they are not citizens, but ought to have the same rights as citizens with the exception of voting in national elections. And yet they are often overlooked—or intentionally neglected—when it comes to municipal services. East Jerusalem has long been plagued by infrastructural neglect and its people have suffered under highly restrictive policies that make it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain official permission to build nearly anything “legally.” As a result, the municipality frequently carries out demolition orders against what they view as illegal construction, leaving Palestinian families devastated, and sometimes homeless. 

NIF grantees like ACRI, Ir Amim, Emek Shaveh and many others work tirelessly on the ground to advocate for the residents of East Jerusalem, fighting the incursion of settlers and advocating for better roads, schools, and more access to the public services they deserve.