West Bank Barrier and Land Disputes
On January 13, 2004, Israel began constructing the Israeli West Bank Barrier. The route of the barrier between Abu Dis and Jerusalem (East of the Green line) has made it difficult for Abu Dis's residents to access services in Jerusalem without a permit. The barrier will also detach over 6,000 dunums of arable land from the city's total land area of 28,332 dunums. The United Nations humanitarian affairs office charged that the barrier would severely disrupt access to schools, hospitals, and work. Israel says that the route of the barrier is determined by security, not political considerations.
The Cliff Hotel owned by the Ayyad family of Abu Dis has been the focus of a legal dispute in the Israeli courts. The owners sued to halt expropriation of the hotel, built in the mid-1950s. The case involves the application of the Absentee Property Law, which allows the State of Israel to expropriate property within its territory when the owner lives in a country that Israel regards as an enemy. A High Court ruling in February 2010 was still unable to decide whether the law applies to property in East Jerusalem belonging to residents of the Palestinian territories.
Read more about this topic: Abu Dis
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