Special Focus : The Planning Crisis in East Jerusalem | April 2009

This OCHA Special Focus addresses the phenomenon of "illegal" Palestinian construction in East Jerusalem resulting from the failure of the Israeli authorities to provide adequate planning for Palestinian neighbourhoods. This Special Focus provides a statistical overview of Israel?s demolition of unauthorized structures since 2000, provides background on some of the key difficulties facing Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem in their efforts to build, and identifies a number of at-risk communities. In addition, it provides an overview of various NGO and community initiatives that aim to challenge and eventually overcome obstacles in the current municipal planning process.