Which Jerusalem? – This question was raised in a Böll Debate on July 12 2016 in the Meeting Room of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Ramallah. The discussion was based on a policy brief presentend by the excellent young expert Ms. Nur Arafeh, Policy fellow of Al Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network. In her paper she had researched “Israel’s Little Known Master Plans for Jerusalem”, which aim to develop the city exclusively for the Jewish people and to further marginalize the Palestinian population.
Her presentation was followed by comments and input by two renowned experts on Jerusalem and development: economist Raja Khalidi (formerly at the UN Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD) and Prof. Youssef Jabareen, expert on urban planning at the Technion in Haifa.
Afterwards a lively and engaged discussion developed between the three experts and a large Palestinian and international audience, which included foreign diplomats and representatives of the civil society as well as journalists and academics. The debate was moderated by hbs director Dr. Bettina Marx.
