Greater Jerusalem

NPR's Mike Shuster reports that it is increasingly difficult for Palestinians to live in East Jerusalem, the traditionally Arab section of the city. The municipal authorities in Jerusalem have steadily been pressuring the Palestinians to move out of East Jerusalem. The means are primarily bureaucratic and they conform with Israeli law. But in the process, thousands of Palestinians have been deprived of their right to live in Jerusalem and to build homes there. It is difficult and expensive for Palestinians to obtain a permit to build a house or add on to an existing one, and hundreds of Palestinian homes which were built without a legal permit have been demolished by municipal authorities. The city is also making it difficult for Palestinians to hold on to identification cards that give them the right to live in Jerusalem.