Published: 5 February 2018
Last updated: 4 March 2024
A leaked report acquired by the Guardian cited projects in parts of East Jerusalem – occupied by Israel since 1967 – that are being used “as a political tool to modify the historical narrative and to support, legitimise and expand settlements”.
The report identified settler-run excavation sites in the heart of majority-Arab districts, a proposed cable car project with stops on confiscated land and the designation of built-up urban areas as national parks.
“East Jerusalem is the only place where Israeli national parks are declared on populated neighbourhoods,” the report said.
The document, a report written annually by the EU Heads of Mission in Jerusalem, presented a bleak picture, saying the overall situation in the city and the prospects for peace had worsened.
FULL STORY Israel using tourism to legitimise settlements, says EU report (Guardian)
Photo: Historical site in Silwan (Ancient Middle East)