Silent forced migrations in twenty-first-century Jerusalem

Abstract

East Jerusalem today has become a space populated by “migrants in suspension.” The major group is composed of approximately 50,000 residents who have been left on the Palestinian side of the Separation Wall but are still within the official municipal boundaries of the Jerusalem. These individuals have crossed over to the Israeli side out of fear that Israel might transfer this liminal space to the Palestinian Authority and consequently revoke their legal residency. This anomalous situation is the direct result of the struggle for space as Israel attempts to “Israelize” it, and the Palestinians struggle to preserve their rights to reside in it.