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Pisgat Ze'ev (Template:Lang-he, lit. Ze'ev's Peak), is an illegal settlement with a population of 50,000 located in northeastern Jerusalem. It was established on land annexed by Israel after the Six Day War. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. Construction began in 1982, and the first families moved in three years later. Pisgat Ze'ev is situated east of the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat, west of the Arab villages of Hizma and 'Anata, and south of Neve Yaakov. Pisgat Ze'ev is one of the Jerusalem's ring neighborhoods.

History

Archeological evidence shows that the region was a major producer of wine and oil for use in the Temple in Jerusalem. Pisgat Ze'ev was established in 1984 to create a contiguous Jewish link with Neve Yaakov, which had been isolated from other Jewish areas. The neighborhood was established on a hill known by the Arabs as Ras a-Tawill, 772 meters above sea level. The original name proposal was "Pisgat Tal," but the final choice was Pisgat Ze'ev, after the Revisionist Zionist leader, Ze'ev Jabotinsky.It is one of Jerusalem's ring neighborhoods.

Politics and demography

Pisgat Ze'ev consists of five sections: Center (1984), West (1988), East and North (1990), and South (1998). It is linked to downtown Jerusalem by a direct freeway, Route 60 (known as Route 1). Technically speaking, Pisgat Ze'ev lies in the northern sector of Jerusalem and its location is only referred to as "East Jerusalem" due to the fact it was established east of the Green Line. Pisgat Ze'ev is located in territory captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and subsequently annexed, first through the Jerusalem annexation directorate of 1967, then through the Jerusalem Law of 1980.

The establishment of Pisgat Ze'ev increased the proportion of Jews living in East Jerusalem relative to the number of Arabs. In 1990, there were 150,000 Arabs and 120,000 Jews in East Jerusalem; in 1993, there were 155,000 Arabs and 160,000 Jews.

In the spring of 2004, the Israeli West Bank barrier was built to separate Pisgat Ze'ev and other Jerusalem suburbs from the West Bank. One result was an increase of Palestinians with Jerusalem residency moving into Pisgat Ze'ev, which has a largely homogeneous Jewish population.

Schools and public buildings

With 40 percent of the residents under the age of 21, Pisgat Ze'ev has 58 kindergartens, 9 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 3 high schools. There are also 22 synagogues and 2 libraries.

Jerusalem light rail system

The Red Line of Jerusalem's new light rail system will run from Pisgat Ze’ev in the northeast, south along Road 1 to Jaffa Road, westward to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, southwest, crossing the Chords Bridge to the Beit Hakerem neighborhood, and terminating at Mount Herzl, on the outskirts of the Bayit Vegan neighborhood. The project has aroused anger among Palestinians, who say the route trespasses on their land.

Street names

Many of the street names in Pisgat Ze'ev North commemorate leading Israeli personalities, among them Moshe Dayan and Simcha Holtzberg. In the center of Pisgat Ze'ev, many streets are named for Israel Defense Force units that fought in the country's wars. A memorial for fallen soldiers is located in an archeological park in central Pisgat Ze'ev.

Community projects

With the help of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), the residents of Pisgat Ze'ev transformed a 5-acre (20,000 m) site used as an illegal dumping ground into a wildflower sanctuary with over 55 species of trees and plants.

Arab-Israeli conflict

A passenger bus leaving the Pisgat Ze'ev terminus was blown up by a Palestinian suicide bomber in May 2003. Seven people were killed in the attack and dozens were wounded. The police said the bomber boarded the bus disguised as a religious Jew, wearing a kippa and a prayer shawl.One of the victims was a resident of the Shuafat refugee camp, on his way to work at the Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem.

See also

• List of places in Jerusalem
• Kubur Bani Yisra’il

References

1. "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
2. "Jerusalem Neighborhoods: Pisgat Ze'ev". Jerusalem Municipality. 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
3. Godfrey-Goldstein, Andrea (2006-05-22). "The Choice is Now". The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
4. "East Jerusalem". B'Tselem, The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
5. Mitnick, Joshua (2006-05-08). "Jerusalem barrier prompts Arabs to move across town". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
6. Selig, Abe (2010-03-02). "Palestinians irate over new Jerusalem light rail". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
7. SPNI Jerusalem
8. Silver, Eric (2003-05-19). "Nightmare images from a Jerusalem commuter bus". The Independent. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
9. Sedan, Gil (2003-05-23). "Rich, poor, Arab, Jew - Terror kills without prejudice". Jweekly.com. Retrieved 2010-03-30.

External links

• Official website Template:He icon
• Jerusalem Photos Portal - Pisgat Ze'ev

31°49′30″N 35°14′30″E / 31.82500°N 35.24167°E / 31.82500; 35.24167

• Neighbourhoods of Jerusalem