East Jerusalem Five-Year Plan Stalled Amid Budget Cuts and War

Significant portions of a five-year plan for East Jerusalem, approved in August 2023 with an initial budget of 3.2 billion shekels, have not been implemented. The plan, intended to run from 2024 to 2028, has seen its investment reduced to approximately 2 billion shekels due to war-related budget cuts across government ministries. A report by the Ir Amim organization indicates that steering committees, including the supreme committee, failed to convene for the first two years of the plan. Progress on key initiatives has been severely hampered, with a "Hebrew for Employment" program for East Jerusalem residents not being realized due to unutilized funds, which are now slated for reallocation. Furthermore, the construction of new public buildings has stalled, with allocated funds redirected to continue development from a previous five-year plan. Out of seven planned parks, only one, the UN Garden, has been established. The Jerusalem Municipality stated that it received only 13.5 million shekels for public buildings and public spaces, a fraction of the 42.5 million shekels designated for public buildings alone in the plan. The ambitious goal of constructing around 2,000 new housing units annually in East Jerusalem, including through urban renewal, has also not been met, with no new housing units built for residents. The Ministry of Jerusalem and Tradition stated that the plan is actively being advanced, with professional teams working continuously and approving numerous work plans in education, infrastructure, and transportation. They acknowledged the supreme steering committee's hiatus post-war but confirmed its reconvening and ongoing oversight. The municipality added that it invests its own funds in public infrastructure and spaces and will advance government-funded projects upon receipt of additional budgets. The Ministry of Housing and the Urban Renewal Authority did not respond.