What happened on the 17th of Tammuz thousands of years ago may be repeating under the ever watchful eyes of the government.
A new investigation by the Regavim Movement’s Arab Research Department reveals that the Palestinian Authority has been building a systematic governance apparatus in the heart of Jerusalem for over a decade, in violation of the Oslo Accords and in direct violation of Israel’s legal authority.
The PA’s Ministry for Jerusalem Affairs operates as an official arm of the Palestinian government in Israel’s capital, with an annual budget of tens of millions of Shekels. Among other areas of activity, this ministry runs a compensation system for illegal Arab construction, provides legal representation against Israeli state institutions, and publicly conducts coordination with international organizations
While the Jerusalem Municipality and the State of Israel struggle to enforce planning and construction laws in eastern Jerusalem, the PA is building a parallel governance infrastructure that effectively functions as an alternative sovereignty
One of the PA ministry’s central areas of activity is its mechanism to support illegal construction. Regavim’s research reveals that for years, the PA has provided “compensation” payments ranging from $15,000 to NIS 52,000 per housing unit, depending on the location and nature of the violation, to residents whose illegally built structures were demolished by the State of Israel. Additional support includes collaboration with the Red Cross and UN agencies, including the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
According to official Palestinian Authority and UN data, over the past five years, at least NIS 35 million has been distributed through this compensation mechanism, excluding costs for legal, planning, and advocacy support. A network of professionals, including lawyers, engineers, and architects, operates through PA-affiliated organizations, providing systematic representation for residents in Israeli courts and planning committees, in full coordination with the PA’s Jerusalem Affairs Ministry. Demolition operations are often documented and used to exert political and diplomatic pressure on Israel internationally
Meir Deutsch, Director General of Regavim: “The State of Israel enforces the law only sporadically and fails to act systematically or strategically to counter Palestinian plans. As a result, where Israel does not assert control, the PA fills the vacuum, establishing itself as the de facto governing authority, with the encouragement and substantial funding provided by foreign governments and international organizations.
The result is the quiet by consistent loss of Israeli governance, the erosion of Israeli sovereignty, and the entrenchment of de facto Palestinian Authority sovereignty.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/411466
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