Israel Matzav

'Palestinians' moving to French Hill

My local neighborhood newsletter is reporting that Hebrew University is about to sell a block of eighteen apartments in the center of the nearby French Hill neighborhood in northern Jerusalem to 'Palestinians.' The 'Palestinians' plan to have 'tens' of families move into these apartments.

According to the local "Alon HaShchuna" (Neighborhood Newsletter) in my unnamed neighborhood, the 'Palestinians' bid as much as $30,000 per apartment more than the market price, with financing (I know you all thought the 'Palestinian Authority' was broke) coming from the 'Palestinian Authority' Housing Fund (Majlis al-Shakan) and from a special fund sponsored by Saudi Arabia to finance purchases of property within the Jewish neighborhoods.

According to the Newsletter, three years ago, the university sold 96 dunams that it owned in the Arab neighborhood of Beit Hanina to 'Palestinians' despite the fact that Jewish groups had bid higher prices because "the neighborhood is Arab anyway." This time, the university is saying that it "sold to the highest bidders."

Locals in French Hill, a mixed religious - secular neighborhood near Mount Scopus just across the pre-1967 border, say that already today there are problems with young 'Palestinians' coming from the nearby neighborhoods of Issawiya and Shuafat getting into fights with local residents in the commercial center. They fear that this will only get worse if a block of Arabs moves into the neighborhood.

One reason many Arabs are interested in buying in neighborhoods like French Hill is due to the 'security fence.' French Hill will be within the fence (as will all the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem). Many Arab neighborhoods will be outside the fence. Ten weeks ago, I linked to a story in the Washington Times regarding a similar phenomenon in Pisgat Zev, which is also in the northeast part of the city.

Residents of the 'refugee camps' outside the city have 'warned' that if the 'security fence' is completed there will be 'anger' that may be dissipated in the form of terror attacks against residents of the Jewish neighborhoods in the northern part of the city.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:44 PM