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Easter Celebrations: 50 Years of Israel’s Colonization of Occupied East Jerusalem

Easter Celebrations: 50 Years of Israel’s Colonization of Occupied East Jerusalem

10 April 2017 in 2017
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In the 50 years since Israel has occupied East Jerusalem (an integral part of the Occupied State Palestine along with the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip) and the almost 70 years since the expulsion of two-thirds of the Palestinian Muslim and Christian population from the rest of historical Palestine (including West Jerusalem), successive Israeli governments have introduced numerous measures to promote an exclusively Jewish historical narrative in the Holy Land. This can be seen no more clearly than in the heart of occupied East Jerusalem.

Through decades of Israeli policies aimed at transforming Jerusalem into “the undivided capital of the Jewish people”, Israel is actively negating and eradicating Jerusalem’s Palestinian, Christian and Muslim heritage and culture, irrevocably damaging not only the lives and social fabric of the indigenous Palestinian population, but the very spirit of the city itself.

Part one of this brief highlights some of the ways in which Israel has been altering the character of Jerusalem over the years, as well as explaining the political status of the city. Part two focuses on the changing nature of Easter celebrations in occupied East Jerusalem, through the personal stories of the indigenous Christians- Palestinians whose families have lived in and around the city for centuries.

Please click here for the full report

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