Ramat Shlomo

View of Ramat Shlomo

Ramat Shlomo (Hebrew: רמת שלמה, lit. Shlomo's or Solomon's Heights) is an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem.[1][2] The population, mostly ultra-Orthodox, is 21,000.[3]

Ramat Shlomo was built on land occupied by Israel since its capture from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered by the international community to be an Israeli settlement.[4][5][6] The international community considers Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[7]

History

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Ramat Shlomo

According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated land from the nearby Palestinian villages in order to construct Ramat Shlomo:

Ramat Shlomo was founded in 1995. It borders Ramot to the west, Har Hotzvim to the south, and Shuafat to the east. Initially called Reches Shuafat (Shuafat Ridge), it was later named for Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.[11][12]

Teddy Stadium was initially planned for Ramat Shlomo, but in the wake of Haredi protests[12] the stadium and sports complex was moved to Jerusalem's Malha neighbourhood.[13]

Less than 200 meters separate the neighborhood's furthermost houses from the first row of homes in Shuafat and Beit Hanina.[11]

In June 2008, Israel's interior ministry approved construction of an additional 1,300 apartments in Ramat Shlomo.[14] Israel says that most of the building is on land annexed by the state and thus does not violate its commitment not to build on disputed land.[15]

In March 2010, the Jerusalem municipality approved the construction of an additional 1,600 apartments in Ramat Shlomo.[2] The announcement coincided with the visit of U.S. Vice-president Joe Biden, angering the U.S. government[16] and prompting the Palestinian Authority to pull out of US-brokered indirect "proximity talks" intended to revive the Israeli–Palestinian peace process.[17] The European Union was also critical of the decision.[18] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied that Israel's policy on building in Jerusalem was the same policy followed by all Israeli governments over the past 42 years, and had not changed.[19]

In October 2014, Netanyahu approved the construction of 660 additional units,[20] followed by an additional 500 in November.[21] In November 2015 Netanyahu gave approval to begin marketing the 1,000 properties.[22]

Political status

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The neighborhood is across the Green Line[23] on land occupied by Israel since its capture from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed to Israel in a move not recognized by the international community.[4][5][6] As such it is considered an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem by the international community.[24][16][25] Israel disputes this and considers Ramat Shlomo to be a neighborhood within the Israeli designated borders of Jerusalem.[5] The New York Times printed an article referring to Ramat Shlomo as a settlement in the West Bank and two days later issued a correction, stating that "[i]t is a neighborhood in East Jerusalem, not a settlement in the West Bank".[26]

The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, violating the Fourth Geneva Convention's prohibition on transferring civilian population into territory held under military occupation. Israel disputes that East Jerusalem is occupied territory and rejects that settlements are illegal.[27][28]

Archaeology

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A quarry from the period of the Second Temple was found at Ramat Shlomo. King Herod is believed to have used stones from this quarry for his massive construction project to expand the Temple Mount. Giant stones extracted from the quarry weighed several tons.[29][30] Jewish tombs have also been discovered in Ramat Shlomo dating to this period.[31]

Landmarks

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Chabad center in Ramat Shlomo

The facade of the Chabad Synagogue in Ramat Shlomo is a replica of Lubavitch World Headquarters, known simply as "770" at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York.[32]

References

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  1. ^ US presses Israel over East Jerusalem settlement row BBC News. 15 March 2010
  2. ^ a b "'We'll prevent future embarrassments'". The Jerusalem Post. 2010-03-14. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  3. ^ Terror Attack in Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo Neighborhood - Retrieved 28 August 2014
  4. ^ a b Butt, Riazat (2010-02-12). "Israeli settlements plan angers archbishop of Canterbury". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
    "Ramat Shlomo, built 15 years ago, is on land captured in the West Bank in 1967 and annexed to Israel in a move not recognised by the international community."
  5. ^ a b c "U.S.-Israel rift 'historic'". National Post. 2010-02-16. Retrieved 17 March 2010.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ a b "Joe Biden attacks Israeli plan for East Jerusalem homes". BBC. 2010-03-10. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
    "The international community considers East Jerusalem occupied territory. Building on occupied land is illegal under international law, but Israel regards East Jerusalem – which it annexed in 1967 – as its territory."
  7. ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  8. ^ Shu’fat Town Profile, ARIJ, 2013, p. 14
  9. ^ Beit Hanina Town Profile pp. 13-14
  10. ^ Beit Hanina al Balad Village Profile, ARIJ, 2012, pp. 16-17
  11. ^ a b Bad walls make bad neighbors, Daniel Ben Simon, Haaretz, February 3, 2002.
  12. ^ a b Ramat Shlomo on the Jerusalem Municipality site
  13. ^ YNet news article
  14. ^ Al Jazeera English – Middle East – Outrage over Jerusalem housing plan
  15. ^ Teibel, Amy (14 June 2008). "Palestinians balk at Israel's east Jerusalem building plan". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  16. ^ a b Frenkel, Sheera (2010-03-16). "Anger in Ramat Shlomo as settlement row grows". The Times. London. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  17. ^ "US 'may not veto UN resolution on Jerusalem'". BBC. 2010-03-28. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  18. ^ "PA sources: Talks will take place despite housing plan". The Jerusalem Post. 2010-03-11. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  19. ^ "Netanyahu and Obama to meet Tuesday in Washington - Haaretz - Israel News". Archived from the original on 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  20. ^ PA on east Jerusalem building: Such unilateral acts will lead to an explosion, The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 27 October 2014
  21. ^ Israel approves construction of 500 more housing units in east Jerusalem, The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 4 November 2014
  22. ^ Netanyahu approves 454 housing units in controversial east Jerusalem residential complex, The Jerusalem Post.
  23. ^ "Estimate: De-facto freeze in J'lem". Ynet. 2010-03-15. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  24. ^ Hancocks, Paula (2010-03-26). "East Jerusalem: A tale of two neighborhoods". CNN. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  25. ^ "Brazil President in West Bank: I dream of a free Palestine". Haaretz. 2010-03-17. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  26. ^ Landler, Mark; Cooper, Helene (14 April 2010). "Obama Speech Signals a U.S. Shift on Middle East". The New York Times.
  27. ^ U.S. demands Israel scrap building plan Associated Press. 15 March 2010
  28. ^ Obama aide condemns 'destructive' Israeli homes plan BBC News. 14 March 2010
  29. ^ Haaretz: Quarry used in Second Temple found in central Jerusalem.
  30. ^ ROSENFELD, Amnon, et al. "BUILDING STONES FROM A QUARRY IN NORTHERN JERUSALEM PROBABLY USED IN THE TEMPLE MOUNT: 5 YEARS AFTER THE DISCOVERY." 2014 GSA Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia. 2014.
  31. ^ Rachel Hachlili (2005). Jewish Funerary Customs, Practices And Rites In The Second Temple Period. BRILL. ISBN 9789004123731. A Second Temple Period Tomb on the Shuafat Ridge, North Jerusalem
  32. ^ Ramat Shlomo residents don’t understand what all the fuss is about

31°48′37.72″N 35°13′4.97″E / 31.8104778°N 35.2180472°E / 31.8104778; 35.2180472

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