Judaising Jerusalem while we are looking elsewhere

JVL Introduction

Under cover of the genocide on Gaza and now the war on Iran, the Judaisation of Jerusalem and the West Bank are escalating at a horrendous pace.  There have long been actions to evict Palestinians from East Jerusalem who are not granted full Israeli citizenship or allowed to vote for Knesset (Parliament) members but are allowed to vote for local councillors, although few do on principle.  Their lives have been hampered by the apartheid wall cutting off roads and shopping areas and imposing checkpoints on those Palestinians who live on the West Bank side of that wall. Demolitions are all too common as is occupation of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem and/or severe restrictions of access.  When I was in Silwan in 2017 settlers had taken over all but one apartment in a small block, leaving the one Palestinian family only able to access their property via rooftops, borrowing a long communal ladder that was needed to climb down into their garden and to their home through the back door. After a while this became intolerable – try doing that with shopping and a toddler!

Things have only got worse and a UN report states that “Under the cover of an existential war against the Palestinians, Israel is accelerating measures that alter Jerusalem’s demographic composition, religious character and legal status,” going on to warn that the actions are “destroying the remnants of the pluralistic fabric that Jerusalem has represented for centuries, for Muslims, Christians and Jews.”

LL

This article was originally published by Middle East Monitor on Fri 6 Mar 2026. Read the original here.