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Last update - 09:38 21/07/2009
Most Arabs can't buy most homes in West Jerusalem
By Nir Hasson
Tags: Israel Land Administration 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed this week that Jerusalem is an "open city" that permits all its inhabitants, Jewish and Palestinian, to purchase homes in both its eastern and western parts.

"Our policy is that Jerusalem residents can purchase apartments anywhere in the city. There is no ban on Arabs buying apartments in the west of the city, and there is no ban on Jews building or buying in the city's east," Netanyahu said in response to the U.S. request to halt a Jewish construction project in East Jerusalem.

An examination by Haaretz, however, presented a rather different situation on the ground. According to Israel Lands Administration rules, residents of East Jerusalem cannot take ownership of the vast majority of Jerusalem homes.
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When an Israeli citizen purchases an apartment or house, ownership of the land remains with the ILA, which leases it to the purchaser for a period of 49 years, enabling the registration of the home ("tabu"). Article 19 of the ILA lease specifies that a foreign national cannot lease - much less own - ILA land.

Attorney Yael Azoulay, of Zeev and Naomi Weil Lawyers and Notary Office, explains that if a foreign national purchases an apartment they must show the ILA proof of eligibility to immigrate to Israel in accordance with the Law of Return. Non-Jewish foreigners cannot purchase apartments. This group includes Palestinians from the east of the city, who have Israeli identity cards but are residents rather than citizens of Israel.

Most residences in West Jerusalem and in the Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem are built on ILA land. All the neighborhoods built after 1967 - Gilo, Pisgat Ze'ev, Ramot, French Hill and Armon Hanatziv - are built on ILA land. Even in the older neighborhoods of Kiryat Hayovel, Katamonim and Beit Hakerem, tens of thousands of apartments are built on ILA land and cannot be sold to Palestinians. In the ultra-Orthodox central Jerusalem neighborhoods of Geula and Mea Shearim, as well as in Rehavia and Talbieh, there are homes built on private land - mainly owned by one of the churches or purchased in the past by Jews.

It goes without saying that a Palestinian seeking to purchase an apartment in a Haredi area would be rejected out of hand, and Rehavia or Talbieh would in any event be out of the range of most East Jerusalemites' budget.

Nevertheless, dozens of Palestinian families have moved into Jewish neighborhoods, mainly French Hill and Pisgat Ze'ev. Most are renting, while a few buy apartments without registering them. Lawyers in the field say the law is not always applied, and that if a resident of East Jerusalem were to apply to register the apartment at the ILA, they would not have problems doing so.

If the amendment to the Israel Lands Administration Law is passed - the bill is in an advanced stage - an Israeli apartment owner would be able to take ownership of the land and could then sell it to anyone, including foreign nationals and Palestinians.

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      1.   I am a Jew and I`d like to buy a condo 03:03  |  Fish 21/07/09
      2.   of interest to americans... 03:07  |  ira 21/07/09
      3.   Appreciation for your honest reporting. 03:19  |  Daryl Atamanyk 21/07/09
      4.   re: of interest to americans 03:45  |  Ari 21/07/09
      5.   #1 Fish 04:07  |  Smadar 21/07/09
      6.   @Fish 04:11  |  Omar 21/07/09
      7.   But Bibi said they could buy there... 04:15  |  BBSNews 21/07/09
      8.   Fish - I`m sure your request could be accomodated! 04:16  |  N`Chips 21/07/09
      9.   Ira you are quite right, keep those cards and letters coming... 04:21  |  BBSNews 21/07/09
      10.   to #1 Fish 04:33  |  mark 21/07/09
      11.   #4 Ari doesn`t appear to get it.... 05:23  |  Johnboy 21/07/09
      12.   Who said? 05:27  |  Maureen Ann 21/07/09
      13.   #1 Fish Since you brought up Saudi Arabia to discussion... 05:32  |  Smadar 21/07/09
      14.   fish#1 05:42  |  bob 21/07/09
      15.   #1 Fish Con`t Jerusalem.... 05:50  |  Smadar 21/07/09
      16.   "Open City?" 06:03  |  Mark Lincoln 21/07/09
      17.   So What? 06:14  |  Mark 21/07/09
      18.   So mark, here is it how it is 06:25  |  Fish 21/07/09
      19.   #17 Mark Well that`s the point, Palestinians are disconnected 06:34  |  Smadar 21/07/09
      20.   jnf and ila 06:42  |  CommonSense 21/07/09
      21.   JNF ILA 06:48  |  CommonSense 21/07/09
      22.   Mark 07:05  |  CJ 21/07/09
      23.   Protecting our National Interest. Donate to the JNF 07:11  |  Steve of Mevaserret 21/07/09
      24.   Great article, misleading headline 07:19  |  Mirqa 21/07/09
      25.   I live in the heart of West Jerusalem... 07:42  |  ck 21/07/09
      26.   ari 07:47  |  rwr 21/07/09
      27.   Last 2 sentences disprove rest of the article! 07:49  |  Ben 21/07/09
      28.   If it walks like a duck... 08:10  |  Mitch Cohen 21/07/09
      29.   Nir Hasson lies to you ! 08:29  |  Vitaly 21/07/09
      30.   #17 You fall at the last hurdle, Mark 08:47  |  Johnboy 21/07/09
      31.   Even in Pisgat Ze`ev Arabs Cannont Buy 09:09  |  Free_Thinker 21/07/09
      32.   # 4 but ari, the difference IS... 09:21  |  eric 21/07/09
      33.   no exclusion of Arabs 09:22  |  Robins 21/07/09
      34.   Privately owned land in Israel, be it in Jerusalem or elsewhere 09:40  |  Amihai 21/07/09
      35.   Compensation policy 09:47  |  Muhammad 21/07/09
      36.   Buying back Stolen Property is not allowed! 09:58  |  cynic #2 21/07/09
      37.   Housing for all Citizens 10:27  |  Joan 21/07/09
      38.   But Bibi said they could buy there 10:44  |  travelfreak2 21/07/09
      39.   How about testing it and reporting on what happened? 10:45  |  sh 21/07/09
      40.   To Robins of jerusalem 11:08  |  IsraeliArab 21/07/09
      41.   Also in Switzerland 11:16  |  Mark 21/07/09
      42.   The legal basis of Israel`s apartheid policies 11:18  |  Ben Alofs 21/07/09
      43.   I Can`t Either-And I WANT To 11:19  |  Israeli 21/07/09
      44.   Bibi said Arabs not Palestinians 11:38  |  Mac 21/07/09
      45.   not in my neighborhood 11:59  |  oy vey! 21/07/09
      46.   Didn`t they turn down citizenship in 68? 12:14  |  LL 21/07/09
      47.   This is the definition of apartheid 12:43  |  Natallie Durson 21/07/09
      48.   Excellent question Mark!!! 12:46  |  lily 21/07/09
      49.   See their palaces along the Road 6 and wonder 12:48  |  lily 21/07/09
      50.   Netanyahu didnt say it was easy but he did say they could buy 13:02  |  zionist forever 21/07/09
      51.   HE SAID ISRAELI ARABS 13:06  |  inyaki 21/07/09
      52.   article leaves out important fact 13:10  |  shlomo 21/07/09
      53.   Crucial Difference 13:28  |  Rachel Kohn 21/07/09
      54.   To Israeli Arab #40 - you are simply wrong 13:41  |  robins 21/07/09
      55.   #1 says it all 18:38  |  fred shapiro 21/07/09
      56.   People like BBS and Natalie sit in their comfortable american 22:03  |  ks 21/07/09
      57.   A very unclear description , but as I understand 23:25  |  TOMY 21/07/09
      58.   heres my problem 03:36  |  Max, to No. 55 22/07/09
      59.   Smadar??? 03:49  |  Michelle 22/07/09
      60.   Mark Lincoln 03:56  |  Michelle 22/07/09
      61.   oh Jerusalem 09:41  |  Jochai Rubinstein 22/07/09
      62.   Apartheid 10:19  |  David 22/07/09
      63.   Max try Iran. 13:30  |  petra 22/07/09
      64.   Shlomo know any Arabs wanting to become Israeli`s? 13:32  |  petra 22/07/09
      65.   Israeli Arab you live in a land your cronies 13:35  |  petra 22/07/09
      66.   To robins of jerusalem 14:08  |  Avogadro 22/07/09
      67.   To petria from USa 14:15  |  IsraeliArab 22/07/09
      68.   To # 63 You are not real !!!!!!!!! 14:23  |  Suad 22/07/09
      69.   To # 1 Whom are you comparing ?? 14:25  |  Suad 22/07/09
      70.   .........Unjustice............ 15:46  |  Fadi 22/07/09
      71.   This article is a TOTAL LIE--I dare Haaretz to print this 17:46  |  IW 22/07/09
      72.   Mr. Fish Enquires About Property in Riyadh 18:21  |  Yaakov Sullivan 22/07/09
      73.   THis article is wrong 19:01  |  Joseph 22/07/09
      74.   I am a Catholic and Id like to buy a condo in Jerusalem! 21:38  |  Historian 22/07/09
      75.   Jerusalem Represents Neither a Religious Nor a Historical Problem 23:35  |  imadudeen 22/07/09
      76.   Citizenship 00:44  |  R 23/07/09
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