Ramat Shlomo Information
Ramat Shlomo (Hebrew: רמת שלמה, lit. Shlomo's (Solomon's) Heights) is a large Jewish housing development in northern East Jerusalem.[1][2] The population, mostly ultra-Orthodox, is 18,000-20,000.[3] Ramat Shlomo was built on land formerly occupied by Jordan from 1948 through 1967 and captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and occupied since.[4][5][6][7] In a move ruled null and void by the UN Security Council, Israel subsequently unilaterally annexed East Jerusalem and surrounding areas. Ramot Shlomo is considered an Israeli settlement by the international community,[8][9][10] although Israel disputes this and considers it a neighborhood within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem.[5] The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
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History
Ramat ShlomoRamat 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]
Originally Ramat Shlomo was supposed to be the site of the Teddy Stadium.[12] After lengthy protest by Haredi Jews living in neighborhoods overlooking the future stadium, the stadium was moved to the Malha neighbourhood.[13]
Less than 200 meters separate the neighborhood's furthermost houses from the first row of homes in Shuafat and Beit Hanina.[14]
In June 2008, Israel's interior ministry approved construction of an additional 1,300 apartments in Ramat Shlomo.[15] 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.[16]
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[9] and prompting the Palestinian Authority to pull out of US-brokered indirect "proximity talks" intended to revive the 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]
Political status
The neighborhood is across the Green Line[20] on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed to Israel in a move not recognised by the international community.[4][5][6][7] As such it is considered an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem by the international community.[8][9][10] 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".[21]
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.[22][23]
Archaeology
A quarry from the period of the Second Temple was found at Ramat Shlomo. King Herod used stones from this quarry for his massive construction project which expanded the Temple Mount. Stones extracted from the quarry were of the magnitude of several tons.[24]
Landmarks
The Chabad Synagogue in Ramat Shlomo is an exact replica of the Lubavitcher rebbe's house at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. [25]
References
- ^ US presses Israel over East Jerusalem settlement row BBC News. 15 March 2010
- ^ a b "'We'll prevent future embarrassments'". The Jerusalem Post. 2010-03-14. http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=170912. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ^ Religious Zeal Drives Housing Crisis in Ramat Shlomo
- ^ a b Butt, Riazat (2010-02-12). "Israeli settlements plan angers archbishop of Canterbury". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/mar/12/archbishop-canterbury-israel-settlements. 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."
- ^ a b c d "U.S.-Israel rift 'historic'". National Post. 2010-02-16. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2686566&p=1. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Joe Biden attacks Israeli plan for East Jerusalem homes". BBC. 2010-03-10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8558850.stm. 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."
- ^ a b "Israel to build in East Jerusalem". China Daily. 2010-03-25. http://www.chinadailyasia.com/en/world/fullstory.html?id=41719. Retrieved 14 April 2010. "Israel annexed East Jerusalem as part of its capital after capturing it in the 1967 war. Its claim is not recognized internationally."
- ^ a b Hancocks, Paula (2010-03-26). "East Jerusalem: A tale of two neighborhoods". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/03/26/jerusalem.settlements/. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
- ^ a b c Frenkel, Sheera (2010-03-16). "Anger in Ramat Shlomo as settlement row grows". London: The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7062808.ece. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Brazil President in West Bank: I dream of a free Palestine". Haaretz. 2010-03-17. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157087.html. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ^ http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=125017&contrassID=2&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y&itemNo=125017 Article about the neighborhood in Haaretz newspaper
- ^ a b Ramat Shlomo on the Jerusalem municipality site
- ^ YNet news article
- ^ Bad walls make bad neighbors – Haaretz – Israel News
- ^ Al Jazeera English – Middle East – Outrage over Jerusalem housing plan
- ^ Teibel, Amy (14 June 2008). "Palestinians balk at Israel's east Jerusalem building plan". The San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/14/MNGE118SGJ.DTL&type=politics.
- ^ "US 'may not veto UN resolution on Jerusalem'". BBC. 2010-03-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8591714.stm. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
- ^ "PA sources: Talks will take place despite housing plan". The Jerusalem Post. 2010-03-11. http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=170708. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157752.html
- ^ "Estimate: De-facto freeze in J'lem". Ynet. 2010-03-15. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3862728,00.html. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ^ Landler, Mark; Cooper, Helene (14 April 2010). "Obama Speech Signals a U.S. Shift on Middle East". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/world/middleeast/15mideast.html?scp=1&sq=Ramat%20Shlomo&st=cse.
- ^ U.S. demands Israel scrap building plan Associated Press. 15 March 2010
- ^ Obama aide condemns 'destructive' Israeli homes plan BBC News. 14 March 2010
- ^ Haaretz: Quarry used in Second Temple found in central Jerusalem.
- ^ Ramat Shlomo residents don’t understand what all the fuss is about
Coordinates: 31°48′37.72″N 35°13′4.97″E / 31.8104778°N 35.2180472°E
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