Tensions are rising in East Jerusalem as Israel advances plans for a national park on the fringes of several Palestinian neighborhoods – an initiative local residents and human rights organizations see as an attempt to force them off their land.
The planned “National Park on the Slopes of Mount Scopus” is set to encompass areas adjacent to Issawiya and A-Tur, Palestinian neighborhoods located adjacent to East Jerusalem by Israeli authorities. While Israeli officials claim this park will preserve natural and archaeological heritage, Palestinian residents view it as part of an effort by Israeli forces to limit Palestinian growth while increasing Israeli control over East Jerusalem.
“This isn’t about protecting nature — it’s about restricting Palestinian life,” stated Ahmad Salhab of Issawiya whose family owns land near the proposed park. “They say it’s a park but it will surround us and limit any future development; this is how displacement happens today.”
Local reports and land planning documents reveal that this proposed park would cover privately owned Palestinian land as well as open areas traditionally utilized for agriculture, grazing, and community recreation. Critics contend that declaring such spaces as national parks is often used by Israeli authorities to prevent Palestinian construction while simultaneously permitting future Israeli settlements or tourism infrastructure development.
Bimkom and Ir Amim recently issued a joint letter urging Jerusalem Municipality to halt this plan, warning that it would effectively “block any urban development” for Palestinian communities that already face housing shortages and limited infrastructure needs.
Betty Herschman, spokesperson for Ir Amim noted that these plans often appear benign or ecological. But in East Jerusalem’s context they serve a political goal of consolidating Israeli control while restricting Palestinian neighborhoods’ natural growth and restricting Israeli authority further.
Plan was first unveiled over a decade ago but faced delays due to public objections and legal challenges. Since its revival, however, Palestinians have expressed greater anxiety, especially amid escalation of settlement activity and property demolitions both in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 war and then annexed it despite opposition from most international bodies, prompting over 350,000 Palestinians to move there and live under discriminatory policies and restrictions for building permits.
Issawiya in particular has been subjected to repeated crackdowns, home demolitions, and land confiscations over time. Residents claim they are frequently denied permits to build homes or expand their neighborhoods while nearby Jewish settlements continue expanding rapidly.
“This is about controlling land without explicitly saying so,” according to Huda Khatib, a community organizer in A-Tur. “They call it a park but in reality it serves as an enclosure that prevents us from expanding and taking away our right to grow.
Although the Jerusalem District Planning Committee is facing fierce opposition, they are expected to advance their plan within weeks. Palestinian residents – supported by local NGOs – have pledged legal petitions and protests in an attempt to stop what they see as land grab under the pretense of conservation.
As legal battles loom, East Jerusalem residents say their proposed park is not about trees or tourism – it is about survival.