Jerusalem Profile: Jabel Al-Mukaber

Jabel Al-Mukaber is a small neighborhood located in the southern part of East Jerusalem, illegally annexed by Israel in 1967. In addition to bordering Israel’s Separation Wall, it is surrounded by the neighborhood of Armon Hanatziv, Beit Sahour (on the other side of the wall) and As Sawahira al Gharbiya. There is also an Israeli settlement, Nof Zion, situated next to Jabel Al-Mukaber.

The settlement, which name means “View of Zion,” was built upon 44 dunums of Palestinian owned land confiscated by Israel following the 1967 war, under the guise of "public services". Additionally, to make matters worse, 74% of the neighborhood's land is further considered "open green space," which means that although Palestinians own this land, they have no legal right to build upon it. This has caused a serious housing crisis: too few homes for too many people. There are only 1000 housing units in the neighborhood meaning that, on average, there are about 10 people living in each unit.

The land of Jabel Al-Mukaber was further divided by Israel's construction of the Separation Wall. The nearby smaller village of Sheikh Sa'd was left on the West Bank side of the Separation Wall, while Jabel Al-Mukaber remained part of East Jerusalem. The 2000 residents of Sheikh Sa'd were left without Jerusalem identity cards and were cut off from their families, schools, and ancestral cemetery. The residents of Sheikh Sa'd can only cross through the checkpoint into Jerusalem with a special permit that is difficult to obtain, especially for young working men.

There are around 14,000 residents in Jabel Al-Mukaber. They fall under the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Municipality and, like the Jewish residents of Jerusalem, pay municipal taxes. Jabel Al-Mukaber, however, does not receive the same services as Israeli settlements and neighbourhoods in the city. There are few serviceable roads, no sidewalks, no street lights, no mail service, and no sanitation services. Furthermore, the Jerusalem Municipality often shuts off the Palestinian water supply two or three times a week, leaving residents dependent on small water reserves collected from roof top water tanks.

While the adjacent Israeli settlements have fields and playgrounds for their residents to use, there are no public facilities open to the youth of Jabel Al-Mukaber. The few organizations working in Jabel Al-Mukaber, like the Nuran Association, coordinate activities to keep kids occupied.

Although there has been little international attention given to Jabel Al-Mukaber, there are several local associations working in the village. Many of these local organizations have expanded over the past few years, and their goals and activities will be featured in future news items.