PASSIA Conference on the “Israeli Agenda on Jerusalem”

“The Israeli Agenda on Jerusalem” was the main topic of the conference organized by The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA) on 11 January 2010 in the Ambassador Hotel in Jerusalem.
Several experts joined the conference and highlighted different aspects of how the Israeli Authorities act concerning the Eastern Palestinian part of Jerusalem. The founder of the Israeli human rights organization Ir Amim, Daniel Seidemann, opened the conference by addressing the border installations and settlements in East-Jerusalem. Dr. Menachem Klein, lecturer at Bar Ilan University, pointed out the role of Jerusalem in the peace negotiations, while Sinan Abdul Qader referred to the plans of the Jerusalem Municipality concerning the Palestinian parts of the city. Jeff Halper, co-founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), talked about the demolition and confiscation of Palestinian property in Jerusalem, mainly houses and land. The lawyer Sami Rasheed closed the conference by talking about the ways in which the Municipality of Jerusalem uses laws to pursue its aims in urban development.