When urban planning of public green space serves colonial oppression

Abstract

Jerusalem established itself as a religious symbol with several social, cultural, and economic meanings through a prolonged history of civilization. Its western part was occupied by Zionist organizations in 1948 and the rest of it was occupied by Israel in 1967. In 1980, Israel annexed the eastern part and declared the unified city as its capital. Israeli occupation has severely damaged the urban structure of the city and dangerously affected its Muslim and Christian population. This was done through continuous military, political and economic hostile activities. Among these, the planning of green open spaces has been used as a means of racial discrimination between Jews and Palestinians, and as a means of confiscating Palestinian land and controlling their development. One of the Israeli deviations in this regard was the 1967 Town Planning Law. This law regulated several complicated administrative and judicial procedures for planning and building permission in Palestinian areas. More than 40% of Palestinian land in East Jerusalem was since then preserved as green open spaces for the future development of Jewish settlements. This research reviews the development of urban planning in Jerusalem since the start of the British Mandate in 1918 to investigate the planning of green open spaces and how it has been affecting the urban structure in the holy city.