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Researchers: Jerusalem will lose Jewish majority by 2035
By Yuval Azoulay
Tags: Israel News, Jerusalem 

Jerusalem will lose its Jewish majority by 2035, when the number of Jews and Arabs in the city will reach parity, the director general of the Jerusalem Institute of Israel Studies said yesterday.

Israel Kimchi spoke at a special Knesset debate in honor of Jerusalem Day, which falls on Thursday.

Kimchi also said that despite the barrier separating the eastern part of Jerusalem from its western part, "in my personal opinion, the city is united." The city's eastern neighborhoods are entirely accessible, he explained, and thousands of East Jerusalem residents work on the west side of the city and take advantage of its health services.
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But Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) countered that "if there is such a union, it is forced, maintained by the police forces stationed there and by the law annexing East Jerusalem, which has not been recognized by the international community. Jerusalem is bisected by a separation wall, and residents of the eastern neighborhoods do not have freedom of religion, because every Friday, the men are forbidden to come to prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque."

While settlers are constantly moving into East Jerusalem to try to create a Jewish majority in Arab neighborhoods, he added, Arabs are not moving to the western side.

MK Yisrael Hasson (Kadima) said he did not believe there could be any solution in Jerusalem that did not involve cooperation among Arab and Jewish neighborhoods. "Any attempt to divide it will lead nowhere," he said.

MK Zeev Elkin (Likud) added: "United Jerusalem is a fait accompli. We must give East Jerusalem residents building permits, but on the other hand, we must enforce laws against illegal construction and demolish buildings that were built without permits."

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat listed several projects he is promoting to "upgrade" the capital. In particular, he said, the municipality recently finalized a master plan to develop the city, after 10 years of work. The plan focuses on Jerusalem's environment, transportation infrastructure and schools, with the goal of "narrowing existing gaps."

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      1.   Back to the good old days 04:31  |  Jim 19/05/09
      2.   Hmm 05:13  |  Suzy 19/05/09
      3.   Jerusalem Will Never Lose Its Jewish Majority 05:33  |  Mark 19/05/09
      4.   The good old days... 05:35  |  Jordan 19/05/09
      5.   WHY isn`t the Dept of Defence HQ in Jerusalem? 05:58  |  PETER SM 19/05/09
      6.   Nice that Kimchi has personal opinions 07:04  |  sh 19/05/09
      7.   The herodes solution 10:24  |  Jaumet 19/05/09
      8.   Jewish Majority 11:41  |  Steve 19/05/09
      9.   Tibi is only half-right 12:13  |  Yoni R. 19/05/09
      10.   Economi and families 12:27  |  Yaakov 19/05/09
      11.   Eastern Jerusalem accessible - not really 12:44  |  vernon marriott 19/05/09
      12.   TIBI is right.Moslems can only pray,they can`t throw stones 13:10  |  PETER SM 19/05/09
      13.   Four very important questions for everyone reading this... 14:09  |  Tcherkessi 19/05/09
      14.   Cede East Jerusalem 14:30  |  Zeev 19/05/09
      15.   you can not force demographic changes... 14:50  |  ClearCut 19/05/09
      16.   CLEARCUTWho says? Do your brothers have a patent on 15:12  |  PETER SM 19/05/09
      17.   Yaakov in rio 15:14  |  ClearCut 19/05/09
      18.   Tell Me What Stock To Buy. 15:20  |  Menachem Ben Yakov 19/05/09
      19.   Only one solution 15:21  |  Mark Lincoln 19/05/09
      20.   Won`t Happen 15:31  |  Golem 19/05/09
      21.   PETER SM, why u live in melbourne? 15:38  |  ClearCut 19/05/09
      22.   YONI 15:42  |  bar kochva 19/05/09
      23.   so what 15:49  |  oz 19/05/09
      24.   It is not about making babies Peter! 15:57  |  ClearCut 19/05/09
      25.   jerusalem 15:58  |  OZ 19/05/09
      26.   Jerusalem shoul be properly united and some sort of Temple... 16:00  |  Tcherkessi 19/05/09
      27.   Really Yoni? 16:33  |  Mark Lincoln 19/05/09
      28.   barak made a huge mistake 17:00  |  harzion 19/05/09
      29.   The solution is very simple 17:23  |  Tulip 19/05/09
      30.   Back to propaganda 17:45  |  David 19/05/09
      31.   #15, clearcut, its clear Jewish demographics increasing 17:49  |  David 19/05/09
      32.   # 17 - ClearCut 17:55  |  Yaakov 19/05/09
      33.   Big Mistake 18:58  |  Gordon 19/05/09
      34.   Not a problem, because by 2035, in 26 years or 19:05  |  Witness 19/05/09
      35.   Not just the Israelis 19:09  |  Yakub Hlal 19/05/09
      36.   To # 26 Some sort of Temple ? 20:19  |  David 19/05/09
      37.   More Self-delusional leftist predictions from Comrade Kimche 20:28  |  Feiglin Supporter 19/05/09
      38.   More of the same politically motivated alarmist crap. 20:51  |  Chaim 19/05/09
      39.   The King of change borrowing ideas & lot of money ! 07:52  |  Akram Zekaria 20/05/09
      40.   Damn! 10:08  |  Andreiev 20/05/09
      41.   men discriminated from praying at al-aqsa/mount 10:41  |  wisdom 20/05/09
      42.   to harzion #28 12:42  |  zeev 20/05/09
      43.   to Andreiev #40 12:57  |  zeev 20/05/09
      44.   to Gordon #33 13:23  |  zeev 20/05/09
      45.   Akram Zekaria #39, more deluded than ever 17:31  |  zeev 20/05/09
      46.   End Arab occupation 20:55  |  Baruch Gold 20/05/09
      47.   David #30 - 4th try 10:34  |  zeev 22/05/09
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