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Five controversial Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem

The past decade has seen a significant expansion of Jewish areas in the Arab neighborhoods closest to the Old City, which could affect how the city is divided – or prevent it from being divided at all. Here is a list of five of the most controversial developments of Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.

Ras al Amud

Ammar Awad/Reuters
Palestinians take apart their makeshift home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud on Dec. 21, 2010.

  • By Ariel Zirulnick Correspondent
  • Christa Case Bryant Staff writer

Ras Al Amud, southeast of the Old City, contains two Jewish settlements, Maale HaZeitim and Maale David.

Maale HaZeitim borders the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives and Moscowitz also owns this land. The first buildings were built in 1997 and a few families and single men settled there, but were ordered out by then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Jews were eventually allowed to resettle the area and there are now more than 50 housing units in advanced construction stages in the area.

Maale David is another settlement in Ras Al Amud, not far from Maale HaZeitim. The land formerly housed the Samaria and Judea District Police headquarters, which takes its name from the biblical names for the West Bank. It has since been moved to another part of East Jerusalem to make way for housing projects in Maale David. The current plan is a luxury apartment complex that will be connected to Maale Hazeitim via a bridge.

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