Israel axes plans to clean Jerusalem beyond barrier

Israel has announced that it will refuse to include parts of East Jerusalem beyond the separation barrier in its plan to clean up the eastern part of the city, local Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

In honour of Jerusalem day, in which Israelis held an inflammatory march in East Jeruslaem, the Israeli cabinet approved the plan, which aims to confront household waste disposal, construction debris and sewerage infrastructures in East Jerusalem.

However, on Monday, Jerusalem affairs and environmental protection minister Zeev Elkin announced limits to the plan.

Addressing the Knesset Interior and Environment Committee, Elkin said there is no point investing money in places without a regular garbage collection. “An investment of this type requires a platform of regular maintenance,” he said.

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The announcement was made, despite the fact that the levels of pollution in the area are known for being dangerously high.

There are two main neighbourhoods that are located beyond the separation barrier in East Jerusalem.

One of them is Shufat, which has a population of 35,000 residents and hosts a refugee camp, which holds around 12,000 registered refugees.

Another is Kafr Aqab, which has a population of around 60,000 people and has been suffering from an inconsistent water supply for the past two months.

Ever since the Israeli cabinet approved to build the separation barrier in 2002, Israel’s Jerusalem Municipality began to lessen its services to parts of East Jerusalem, creating a sanitation crisis.