New Report Reveals Rampant Illegal Construction Eroding East Jerusalem's Open Spaces

A new report by the Regavim movement highlights a severe disparity in the preservation of open spaces between East and West Jerusalem, attributing the crisis primarily to widespread illegal construction in the eastern part of the city. While both halves of Jerusalem possess roughly equal amounts of open land, East Jerusalem has seen the construction of 2,593 illegal structures on open land between 1999 and early 2025, compared to just 68 in West Jerusalem during the same period. This amounts to 3,503 dunams of open space encroached upon in the east versus only 18 dunams in the west.

The report details that the issue is concentrated in specific areas of East Jerusalem, with the Kidron Stream valley, encompassing neighborhoods like Ras al-Amud and City of David, being the most affected, accounting for nearly half of all illegal structures in East Jerusalem's open areas. Other hotspots include the northern area of Kafr Aqab and Atarot, and the Umm Lison, Sur Bahir, and Umm Tuba areas.

Historically, open spaces in Jerusalem have been crucial for environmental regulation, urban cooling, flood prevention, biodiversity, and security, serving as strategic buffers between the city and areas under Palestinian Authority control. Planning for these spaces dates back over a century, with successive master plans emphasizing their preservation.

However, the report argues that authorities are often forced to retroactively "legalize" illegal construction by adapting infrastructure, effectively rewarding offenders and undermining state authority. While recent years have seen an increase in administrative demolition orders and self-demolitions in East Jerusalem due to stricter enforcement tools, the report criticizes the Jerusalem Municipality for a severe misallocation of resources. It notes that only 8 enforcement inspectors are assigned to East Jerusalem, which faces the vast majority of violations, compared to 25 inspectors for West Jerusalem, where illegal construction is minimal.

This lack of effective enforcement and resource disparity leads to significant consequences, including economic losses from unpaid taxes and fees, strain on infrastructure, environmental degradation, and a weakening of Israeli sovereignty and security, particularly in areas bordering Palestinian-controlled territories. The report concludes that without a fundamental shift in enforcement policy, resource allocation, and active development of green spaces, Jerusalem risks irreversible spatial destruction and a loss of its open lungs and security.