Ir Amim in the Media

Israel on Track for Record Number of East Jerusalem Home Demolitions

23.08.20 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

"According to data collected by the civil society organization Ir Amim, August is on track to break a years-long record for t

21.08.20 / Times of Israel

"Meanwhile, according to the Ir Amim nonprofit, major infrastructure projects in the E-1 corridor close to Jerusalem are stil

17.08.20 / Asharq al-Awsat

05.07.20 / Israel Hayom

Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher for Ir Amim, an Israeli rights group focused on Jerusalem, said Israel appears to be planning to

01.07.20 / The Jerusalem Post, Yudith Oppenheimer

18.06.20 / +972, Judith Sudilovsky

"According to a Peace Now

10.06.20 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

“These are decades-old homes,” said Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher for the Ir Amim organization, which has been helping Al-Walaj

02.06.20 / Times of Israel, Jacob Magid

Just some 20,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem have successfully acquired citizenship in total, with the vast majority holdi

22.05.20 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

"A report prepared by the left-wing NGO Ir Amim and the Ma’an workers organization found that while there has been some incre

04.05.20 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

According to Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher for the left-wing Ir Amim organization, “Leon is a doer, he’s not a man of big words

12.04.20 / +972, Yuval Abraham

Pinched between governmental neglect and the blocking of aid from the PA, the residents of the neighborhoods have been left o

06.04.20 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

In the Ateret Cohanim’s financial statements there is no distinction between the management of the organization’s assets and

05.04.20 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

"Fasfoos’ account of the incident was recorded by Zakariya al-Halawa, a researcher from the Israeli organization Ir Amim, whi

31.03.20 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

Meanwhile, the nonprofit organization Ir Amim sent a letter to Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon this morning, in which they detaile

Israeli Police Continue Operating in Flash Point East Jerusalem Neighborhood Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

21.03.20 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

25.02.20 / +972 , Judith Sudilovsky

Israel Government Issues Tenders for Jerusalem Neighborhood, Ending Building Freeze

25.02.20 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

20.02.20 / The New York Times , Isabel Kershner

"Aviv Tatarsky of Ir Amim, a group advocating an equitable arrangement between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem, said t

18.02.20 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

“As we get closer to the election, [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu promotes increasingly irresponsible steps,” said Aviv

What is Donald Trump's vision of Jerusalem?

12.02.20 / The Jerusalem Post, Yudith Oppenheimer

“In truth, Jerusalem is liberated.

“The Deal within the Deal”

01.02.20 / Palestine-Israel Journal, Aviv Tatarsky and Yudith Oppenheimer

Palestinians in Jerusalem's Old City face evacuation fears

23.01.20 / Al Jazeera , Mersiha Gadzo

Ahmad Sub Laban, a field researcher from the Israeli NGO Ir Amim told Al Jazeera that the buildings have been deemed dangerou

21.01.20 / Jerusalem Post, Tzvi Joffre

A report by Peace Now and Ir Amim in 2016 on the lawsuit filed by Ateret Cohanim claimed that in the cases that Arab houses w

Report: Israeli Home Demolitions in East Jerusalem Spiked

16.01.20 / The Associated Press

"In a new report, Ir Amim said 104 housing units were demolished in 2019, compared() to 72 units in 2018.

East Jerusalem’s Issawiya boils as residents decry months of police intervention

12.01.20 / The Times of Israel, Adam Rasgon

"More than 18,000 Palestinians live in the densely populated neighborhood.

28.11.19 / The Times of Israel , TOI Staff

Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher with the Ir Amim rights organization, said the project is a further obstacle to Israelis and Pale

27.11.19 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

“The expansion of the settlement into the neighborhood of Jabal Mukkaber is a symbol of the Israel government’s choice to pre

‘My dream was destroyed’: Home demolitions soar in East Jerusalem

25.11.19 / +972 , Judith Sudilovsky

Ir Amim researcher Aviv Tatarsky cited an “astonishing” gap between what the municipality has approved in the Jewish and Pale

13.10.19 / Haaretz, Moshe Gilad

From a meal in an Arab village to a political discussion in the West Bank, there are excursions to match everyone’s interests

13.10.19 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

In a recent letter to Mendelblit, Oshrat Maimon of the Ir Amim advocacy organization quoted from the 2003 guidelines barring

After 30 Years of Legal Battle, Israeli Court OKs Evacuation of East Jerusalem Family

25.09.19 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

The Jewish National Fund, backed by settler group, has sought the evacuation of 18 Palestinian family members ■ Two Palestini

04.09.19 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon signed an order exempting the embassy from obtaining a building permit for the wall and the roa

01.09.19 / Harper's Magazine , Rachel Poser

According to Amy Cohen of Ir Amim, “The U.S. presence at the event is truly the closest the U.S. has gotten to recognizing Is

28.08.19 / Haaretz , Nir Hasson

Research by Aviv Tatarsky of Ir Amim, an organization whose stated mission is to make Jerusalem “a more equitable and sustain

04.08.19 / +972 , Aviv Tatarsky

For the past six weeks, Israel has been sending paramilitary police forces to raid the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiy

27.07.19 / Haareta , Amira Hass

Studies and reports by the rights groups Bimkom, Ir Amim and B’Tselem, as well as by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studi

22.07.19 / Haaretz , Amira Hass & Jack Khoury

Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher for the left-wing Ir Amim organization, blasted the move, saying: "In the name of the demographic

22.07.19 / The New York Times , Isabel Kershner

Ir Amim, a nonprofit that calls for an equitable solution for Jerusalem as a dual capital of Israel and a future Palestine, s

06.06.19 / The Times of Israel , Adam Rasgon

In July 2015, Odeh, Zughayer, other residents of the neighborhood and Ir Amim, a non-governmental group that advocates for be

OPINION: Reroute Flag Parade Out of Muslim Quarter During Height of Ramadan

29.05.19 / The Jerusalem Post, Yudith Oppenheimer

This year, Jerusalem Day falls during these final 10 days of Ramadan.

19.05.19 / The Times of Israel , TOI Staff

Justices reject petition by Ir Amim organization to change route of annual parade, say police committed to preventing violenc

01.03.19 / Al-Jazeera , Mersiha Gadzo

According to Ahmad Sub Laban, a field researcher with Ir Amim, the Islamic High Commission of the Waqf had decided to reopen

18.02.19 / +972 , Aviv Tatarsky

The Abu Assab family home, located in Jerusalem’s Old City, is expected to be occupied by right-wing Jewish Israeli settlers.

22.01.19 / Haaretz, Nir Hasson

Ashrat Maimon, policy development manager at the NGO Ir Amim, which defends Palestinian rights in Jerusalem, said, “The cynic

15.11.18 / Haaretz

Writes Betty Herschman:

10.03.18 / Haaretz

Yudith Oppenheimer, Ir Amim's Executive Director, says that the wall in Jerusalem “doesn’t just separate Israelis from Palestinians, it separates East Jerusalem from the West Bank. Its construction stemmed from security reasons, but the route that was chosen was...

08.03.18 / Haaretz

Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky on touristic settlement initiatives: “On one hand the authorities make it hard for residents to get building permits and deny them adequate services. On the other, they are advancing in dubious ways initiatives aimed at serving the settlement...

24.01.18 / Haaretz

Ir Amim's Aviv Tatarsky on the summoning of Palestinian farmers from Walajeh for questioning: “Now, instead of supporting the farmers who created and are preserving this special natural site, parks authority inspectors are harassing them.”

17.01.18 / Jerusalem Post

Ir Amim's Aviv Tatarsky: “This is not the first time the Temple [Mount] activists have abused their right to visit there in order to breach the status quo... The worrying thing is that in recent months the police, in various ways, has been assisting the Temple groups...

12.01.18 / The Washington Post

Ir Amim’s Betty Herschman said that Israel had seen a “groundswell of unilateral proposals” for Jerusalem by Israeli leaders under the Trump administration.

02.01.18 / New York Times

Ir Amim's Aviv Tatarsky about plans to redraw Jerusalem's boundaries: “The idea was in the air, it was almost realized, and I don’t think it will go away so quickly... The peace camp and the Palestinians cannot rely on the good will of the Jewish Home party.”

13.10.17 / Haaretz

Ir Amim said: "This is not the first time that the police have not done their job to protect the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem." The NGO added that the police had attempted to hide the nature of the incident when it described the incident in its statement as a...

Jewish worshippers in Jerusalem attack Arab-owned shop

12.10.17 / Jerusalem Post

Ir Amim criticized the police for not taking action during the attack on a Palestinian shop owner. “This is not the first time that the police is not doing its job to protect the Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem,” the NGO said in a statement. “If that is not...

24.07.17 / +972

Interview with Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky about the delicate status quo at the Temple Mount, the possibility of bringing an end to the violence, and the media’s unwillingness to cover Palestinian nonviolence.

29.04.17 / Haaretz

“The completion of the fence is proceeding in parallel with the development of the national park, on beautiful agricultural land which the fence will cut off from the village,” said Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky, “The sorry excuse claiming security considerations cannot hide...

28.04.17 / The Washington Post

Ir Amim found in a 2014 report that the municipality allocated only an estimated 10 to 13 percent of its annual budget to east Jerusalem, even though Arab residents make up just over a third of the city’s population.

05.04.17 / Times of Israel

Ir Amim reported a record 203 demolitions in East Jerusalem last year. Palestinians make up 37% of the city’s population, but only 15% of the area of East Jerusalem is zoned for Palestinian construction, it said.

23.03.17 / Haaretz

Ir Amim's Aviv Tatarsky: “The right wing is trying to whitewash the E1 project by claiming that Ma’aleh Adumim lies within the national consensus. Building there will convert Ma’aleh Adumim from an Israeli negotiating point which could be part of a land swap with the...

03.03.17 / Haaretz

Oshrat Maimon, the policy advocacy director at Ir Amim, noted that the NGO had contacted the university on several occasions on the issue. "We hope that the university's recognition of the tawjihi, which is recognized by the best universities around the world,...

17.02.17 / The Herald (Scotland)

According to Ir Amim, building plans slated for implementation by the government would effectively eliminate an

14.02.17 / Al Jazeera

Ir Amim field researcher Ahmad Sub Laban, his immediate family and two siblings are to be evicted following a court ruling, while his parents can remain in their apartment for ten years. The Sub Labans are among at least 180 Palestinian families threatened with eviction...

10.02.17 / Al-Monitor

Ir Amim Executive Director Yudith Oppenheimer: “We felt this sense of urgency earlier. It is not as if everything here was so wonderful until Trump was elected. We could feel the distress before that too. What is different now is that it is clear that the rules of the...

06.02.17 / Al Jazeera

Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky: “In the internal Israeli arena, there are those on the right wing who really want to rush forward. Givat Hamatos could happen tomorrow if the government wishes that. That would have a very big effect on disconnecting East Jerusalem from...

26.01.17 / Haaretz

Following Donald Trump’s ascent to power, several significant plans for building beyond the Green Line, in and near Jerusalem, are ready to be implemented soon, a paper prepared by the Ir Amim NGO says.
The plans could create irrevocable facts on the ground and...

22.01.17 / Haaretz

Ir Amim: “The proximity of the approval of building permits in Ramot and Ramat Shlomo to the inauguration of President Trump proves that the government of Israel is busy playing cat-and-mouse games with the American administration instead of managing a responsible policy on Jerusalem...

20.01.17 / Los Angeles Times

Ir Amim: “The United States will find it exceptionally difficult to effectively fulfill its pivotal role as a mediator if and when it moves its embassy to Jerusalem. Such a move contradicts the position of the entire international community while clearly favoring one...

28.11.16 / New York Times

Ir Amim’s Betty Herschman said it was too early to know what Mr. Trump’s policy would actually be. But she said one thing was clear: “The Israeli right is already celebrating.” A case in point was last week’s decision on 500 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo.

24.11.16 / The West Australian

Ir Amim said that Israel revived plans on Wednesday to build 500 new homes for Jewish settlers in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, an ominous sign for Palestinians wary of a Donald Trump presidency. "The political significance of this action is that it is the first plan...

23.11.16 / Jerusalem Post

Ir Amim said that Jerusalem's municipality has proposed building 500 more housing units in Ramat Shlomo, an urban settlement to the north of Jerusalem. The regional planning committee initially proposed the plan in 2014 but never proceeded. The proposal came up again...

21.11.16 / Haaretz

Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky said in the context of the Ramat Shlomo plan that Jewish developers were profiting at the expense of the Palestinian landowners. Tatarsky said that the project was designed so that residential and commercial buildings would be on Jewish-owned...

31.08.16 / Jerusalem Post

Ir Amim education report: shortage of classrooms in East Jerusalem has grown to 2,672 classrooms; Planning for public buildings allocated for Palestinians living in East Jerusalem constitutes 2.6 percent of all of East Jerusalem’s land.

31.08.16 / Haaretz

According to Ir Amim’s education report, and contrary to Municipality statements, there will be only 38 new classrooms in East Jerusalem as the school year begins, with another 44 under construction and some 400 in the planning stages. Over 22,000 East Jerusalem...

15.08.16 / Haaretz

Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee advances 56 residential units in Ramot. Ir Amim's Aviv Tatarsky: "the Israeli government has adopted unilateral steps that won’t promote the peace and security to which Israelis are entitled.”

03.08.16 / i24News

Ir Amim: placing Jews in predominantly Muslim neighborhoods of Jerusalem complicates any prospective peace deal along the lines of a two-state solution.

28.07.16 / New York Times

State Department sharply criticized Israel for advancing hundreds of housing units in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. The tenders, posted without fanfare on the land authority’s website, came to wide attention after they were publicized by Ir Amim.

05.07.16 / Jerusalem Post

Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky said that the approval of 600 homes was part of a plan to expand existing buildings in Beit Safafa. Residents of Beit Safafa petitioned the Jerusalem District Court on the matter, Tatarsky added, saying that...

27.06.16 / Haaretz

Ir Amim: "[Public Security] Minister Erdan and the police needed to anticipate that violating the unofficial custom of prior years and allowing non-Muslims to enter [the mount] towards the end of Ramadan would cause the situation on the Temple Mount to deteriorate. If...

Yehuda Glick Brings Extreme Vision of Temple Mount to the Knesset — With an Affable Touch

27.06.16 / The Forward

Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky: “[Glick] believes that if Jews are able to pray there, they will want to, and from a situation of today, where you have several dozen Jews wanting to go there, you will maybe have hundreds daily and on holidays thousands. They will have a...

15.06.16 / Haaretz

Jerusalem Building Committee approved building permit for settler building inside Silwan. Ir Amim: "The Netanyahu government has enabled yet another destructive step in one of the most sensitive areas of Jerusalem. In the process, it is showing its determination to foil...

Court rejects petition to keep marchers out of Muslim Quarter

05.06.16 / Times of Israel

Ir Amim on Flag Parade court decision: “The court recognized the obligation of the state to more seriously address the proximity to Ramadan and the location of the march. With that, the court could have taken the additional necessary step and allowed the Muslim Quarter...

01.06.16 / Jerusalem Post

Ir Amim’s Betty Herschman said that the Flag March through the Old City is always problematic, but especially this year due to Ramadan. She said she doesn’t believe that the schedule changes made by police will make a difference and that the possible confluence of the...

18.05.16 / Haaretz

Flag Parade could conflict with Ramadan; Ir Amim survey shows majority of Jewish public opposes parade going through Muslim Quarter.

15.05.16 / Walla! NEWS

The date of the start of the Muslim month has not yet been set and this year it may coincide with Jerusalem Day, when right wing activists march through the Muslim Quarter. Ir Amim and Tag Meir seek to prevent Flag Parade from passing through the Muslim Quarter.

09.05.16 / Haaretz

Ir Amim: “The Muslim Quarter is a Palestinian area and will be so in any future reality. By means of settler organizations in the Old City, the government is heaping more and more obstacles in the path of a future resolution, disrupting the lives of the Muslim Quarter’s...

Living in Limbo

26.04.16 / Jerusalem Report

Feature piece showing how residents battle municipal neglect in East Jerusalem neighborhoods beyond the Separation Barrier; cites Ir Amim's major report "Displaced in their Own City."

20.04.16 / Haaretz

Haaretz editorial cites comprehensive reports by the International Crisis Group and Ir Amim showing a clear and direct connection between closing the Temple Mount to Muslim worshipers and the outbreak of violence.

14.04.16 / Ynetnews

Settlers and left wing activists both oppose Separation Barrier around Walajeh. Aviv Tatarsky, researcher for Ir Amim: “Israel doesn't allow the residents of Walaja to build as part of the political question of who owns this place."

12.04.16 / Haaretz

Residents of Ras Khamis, located beyond the Separation Barrier, take matters into their own hands after years of neglect by the municipality.

10.04.16 / Haaretz

Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky analyzes the relationship between collective restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshippers to the Temple Mount and the deterioration of the security situation in Jerusalem. “Every time there are restrictions we have seen the violence spread,”...

30.03.16 / Walla! NEWS

The Local Planning and Building Committee approved unanimously [for deposit] a plan for construction of 18 housing units for Jewish families in Jabel Mukaber. The Elad NGO, which works to...

26.03.16 / Haaretz

National Building Council overturns decision of appeals subcommittee to downsize Kedem Compound slated for construction in Silwan by Elad settler group. Appeals against the Compound submitted by Ir Amim, Emek Shaveh and other groups were partially accepted in June 2015...

Rightist Group Boosting Efforts to Evict Arabs, Settle Jews in East Jerusalem

11.03.16 / Haaretz

300 Palestinians at risk of eviction in Batan al-Hawa. Ir Amim said that settler organizations, “under the auspices of a discriminatory system, are dispossessing and uprooting the Palestinian community from its houses, and dispossessing Israel of any chance of a future...

06.03.16 / New York Times

Ir Amim said recent unilateral separation proposal was “detached from any understanding of the fabric of daily life in Jerusalem.” Without agreement from the Palestinian leadership, the group added, such a move would “lead to political, urban and humanitarian chaos.”...

Palestinian village 'will be like a prison'

04.03.16 / Al Jazeera

Ir Amim’s Betty Herschman: "When it comes to national parks in East Jerusalem, there's nothing apolitical about them. This isn't about greening the city, this is about using the declaration of a space as a national park for strategic purposes."

Netanyahu takes a shot at UK prime minister

29.02.16 / Al-Monitor

Shlomi Eldar’s response to PM Netanyahu’s attack on UK PM David Cameron cites Ir Amim statistics on poverty in Jerusalem – 3.5 times higher among Arab families than Jewish ones

Palestinian Villagers Tilled Their Land So Well, Israel Is Now Confiscating It From Them

19.02.16 / Haaretz

Ir Amim’s Aviv Tatarsky: “Today it’s clear to anyone who goes there that it’s on Palestinian territory... But they’re making the area Israeli by means of the national park and nobody says...

Israel Objects to Building School in East Jerusalem, Says It Would Endanger Nearby Police Station

11.02.16 / Haaretz

Ir Amim: “The mayor has a duty to make sure the plan is approved and that Sheikh Jarrah gets a much needed school.”

Expansion of Jewish settlements slows down in east Jerusalem

04.02.16 / ShanghaiDaily.com

Ir Amim report: while tenders issued and new construction plans in east Jerusalem slowed down in 2015, number of evictions rose significantly. 603 tenders for housing units were issued in 2015, mostly in Ramat Shlomo. 18 Palestinian families evicted from their homes....

Israel's Education Ministry to Pay East Jerusalem Schools to 'Israelize' Curriculum

29.01.16 / Haaretz

Ir Amim report shows severe shortage of classrooms and high dropout rates in East Jerusalem. Ir Amim’s Oshrat Maimon: Severe neglect of EJ schools may leave them no choice but to accept ministry’s offer to switch from Palestinian to Israeli curriculum.

14.01.16 / New York Times

Ir Amim: 28,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Jews, half of them yeshiva students, live in the Muslim Quarter. Ir Amim counted 15 pending eviction notices, including the seven on Khaldiyya Ascent, in the Old City alone.

Palestinian eviction case spotlights Jerusalem settler push

23.12.15 / AP

Ir Amim researcher Ahmed Sub-Laban under threat of eviction with his family from their Old City home. Ir Amim: 130 families in east Jerusalem in some stage of eviction proceedings.

Jerusalem court rejects NGO’s appeal to enlarge its visitor center in Silwan

17.12.15 / Jerusalem Post

Court upholds decision to scale down Kedem project planned by Elad in Silwan. Previous ruling was made following petition against Kedem visitors’ center by Ir Amim and Emek Shaveh.

Jerusalem Approves Plan to Build 891 Housing Units in Neighborhood Beyond Green Line

16.12.15 / Haaretz

Ir Amim says behavior of Netanyahu government concerning approval of the plan on Gilo slopes is another example of cat-and-mouse games being played with the Americans on EJ construction; says such unilateral steps destroy any chance of reaching real and just solution in...

From N.Y.C. to the West Bank: Following the Money Trail That Supports Israeli Settlements

07.12.15 / Haaretz

Ir Amim researcher Aviv Tatarsky accompanies reporter Uri Blau on tour of Silwan, as part of Haaretz investigative piece. Ir Amim report on Silwan: “national assets were transferred, with no tenders issued, to settler groups… “Some of these [houses] were confiscated...

Young Israeli Voices from West Jerusalem

01.12.15 / Palestine-Israel Journal

Ir Amim's director of Public Outreach in roundtable discussion of leading social activists: “we can’t offer a 'shared Jerusalem' without recognizing the inequality and lack of symmetry between us.”

19.11.15 / The Australian

Following announcement of authorization to sell new housing units in East Jerusalem, Ir Amim warns that while Netanyahu's "announcement has only declaratory significance, procedural steps to advance the plan could be taken at any time."

Is Barkat the Right Man to Run a Divided Holy City?

08.11.15 / The Forward

Ir Amim counts 16 manned checkpoints and 19 road closures at the height of the violence

Digging for the Holy Land: The politicization of archaeology along the Israel-Palestine border

06.11.15 / Brown Political Review

According to Ir Amim, Palestinians receive only 10 percent of Jerusalem’s budget, even though they make up nearly 40 percent of the city’s population.

Palestinians slam Benjamin Netanyahu's threat to take away their residency rights in east Jerusalem

01.11.15 / Independent

Criticizing PM Netanyahu’s idea of revoking residency for EJ Palestinians beyond the Barrier, Ir Amim's Executive Director says: “[Netanyahu is] saying he wants Jerusalem only for the Jews.”...

In tense eastern Jerusalem, Arabs and Jews hunker down

01.11.15 / JTA

According to Ir Amim, the number of Jews living in Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem’s Old City and its environs, such as Silwan, has increased by 40 percent since 2009.

Somewhere over the wall: Jerusalem behind the security barrier

12.09.15 / Jerusalem Post

Ir Amim report on neighborhoods beyond the Barrier: "Municipal services are virtually absent, and no one takes responsibility for law enforcement, safety or emergency services, overcrowding and poverty, and, perhaps the worst, totally unsupervised construction."

13.08.15 / Haaretz

Ir Amim: “Without the state, Ateret Cohanim could not have advanced its takeover. We call on the Jerusalem municipality to stop the continued construction of the settlements.”

East Jerusalem Story

03.11.14 / The Jerusalem Report

A story about the events in East Jerusalem

We Made A Mistake. It Happens.

26.10.14 / Haaretz site

After Ahmad Sub Laban was attacked by policemen, the police said - Sorry, we made a mistake. It happens.