Product Code Database
Jabel Mukaber (, ) is a predominantly Palestinians neighborhood in southern East Jerusalem. It is bordered by East Talpiot to the west, Abu Tor and Silwan to the north and Sur Baher to the south. Jabel Mukaber has a population of approximately 30,000 (2017).
According to ARIJ, Israel has confiscated the following areas of land from Jabel Mukaber in order to construct Israeli settlements:
The construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier has divided Jabel Mukaber in half and left some neighborhood residents on the West Bank side of the wall, meaning that they hold Palestinian IDs rather than Israeli IDs, and cannot cross into Israel itself. Running through the centre of the neighbourhood, the barrier often separates members of the same family from one another, disrupting normal family life. Jabel Mukaber is under-budgeted for municipal services, leading to sewage blockages in parts of the neighborhood and a shortage of classrooms.
The Jerusalem Municipality began to draw up a zoning plan for Jabel Mukhaber in 1980. It was finally approved 16 years later, in 1996. The plan designated 70% of Jabel Mukhaber land as a green zone. The land set aside for housing construction was 20.5%, though most of it had already been used to that end. The housing density for the Arab area was set at 25%, in contrast to the 140% housing density level allowed for construction in the adjacent Jewish suburbs of East Jerusalem.Menachem Klein, Jerusalem: The Contested City, C. Hurst & Co. 2001 p.30.
Oded Shalom, writing in 2017, states that Jabel Mukaber is
Arab-Israeli conflict
East Talpiot was established in 1970 in close proximity to Jabel Mukaber during the upswing of building that followed the Six-Day War. When the Second Intifada (uprising) began, the mood changed. Since then, Jabel Mukaber has been the scene of numerous demonstrations, protests and riots in support of the Palestinian cause.
'A depressing slum with garbage spilling over from dumpsters all over the streets, with no playgrounds and no green areas, with a shortage of classrooms and kindergartens, with one high school for boys which was opened only two years ago after 20-year pleadings from the residents. They pay taxes to the state and property tax to the municipality, but don’t seem to be getting anything visible in return. .'Oded Shalom, 'How Jabel Mukaber became a terror incubator,' Ynet 19 January 2017.
Archaeology
Numerous Jewish burial caves, dating from the Second Temple period, have been found in the neighborhood. Most of them follow patterns typical of the period, including kokhim. In 2007, a particular burial cave with kokhim was discovered, displaying charcoal graffiti on its walls. The graffiti appeared to depict the names of the deceased, including the name Yismael (ישמעאל), a name commonly found among Jews of that era.
Landmarks
A Tolerance Monument sculpted by Czesław Dźwigaj in collaboration with Michal Kubiak is situated on a hill marking the divide between Jewish East Talpiot and Arab Jabel Mukaber, standing opposite the United Nations headquarters in Jerusalem in a park near Goldman Promenade. Unveiled in Jerusalem in 2008, it was funded by Polish people businessman Aleksander Gudzowaty as a symbol to promote peace in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
See also
External links
|
|
