Ir Amim - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Ir Amim is an Israeli non-profit organization founded in 2004 that focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Jerusalem. It seeks to ensure the "dignity and welfare of all its residents and that safeguards their holy places, as well as their historical and cultural heritages"

According to Ir Amim's website, funders have included the Ford Foundation, the EU, New Israel Fund, Moriah Fund, Open Society Institute, Norway, the British Embassy, Czech Republic, and the Netherlands . According to NGO Monitor
NGO Monitor
NGO Monitor is a non-governmental organization based in Jerusalem, Israel whose stated aim is to generate and distribute critical analysis and reports on the output of the international NGO community for the benefit of government policy makers, journalists, philanthropic organizations and the...

, a self-described monitor of Israeli civil society, foreign government funding constituted about 67% of the total budget (~ 4 million NIS) in 2007.

Legal and Governmental Policy Activity
Ir Amim regularly provides information to Knesset members and members of the Jerusalem Municipal Government about actions in East Jerusalem that they believe to undermine Jerusalem's stability, impede equitability amongst residents, or threaten the possibility for future final-status negotiations in Jerusalem (such as settlement building in Palestinian neighborhoods). The organization also brings cases to the Supreme and Municipal courts on topics such as building permits and social services in East Jerusalem.

Monitoring and Reporting
Ir Amim daily monitors the situation in East Jerusalem, and exposes key developments and in-depth analysis in its reports almost monthly. This type of monitoring and reporting is the basis for the legal and policy activity of Ir Amim, as well as the media work.

Jerusalem Policy Forum
The Jerusalem Policy Forum is a joint project of Ir Amim and the Palestinian NGO, the Peace and Democracy Forum.

Public Outreach
Ir Amim's public outreach is primarily aimed at the Israeli public, with the goal of re-orienting the public discourse on the issue of Jerusalem. The organization encourages the public to evaluate both the current realities and the ongoing developments in Jerusalem with regard to the possible long-term ramifications for Israel. Ir Amim's public outreach centers around study tours, media work, briefings, house meetings, and educational programs. Ir Amim also maintains a blog on the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ir-amim

Study Tours
Ir Amim offers study tours of East Jerusalem to both individuals and organizations. The tours focus on the historical background as well as the Ir Amin view of current political and socio-economic developments in East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...

. The tours travel along the Separation Barrier
Israeli West Bank barrier
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...

and through Jerusalem neighborhoods, discussing Israeli policies and their impact on Israelis and Palestinians and on a possible political resolution in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem Moments
Jerusalem Moments is a film project sponsored by Ir Amim. It is a collection of short documentaries directed by young filmmakers, both Israelis and Palestinians, which reflect the complexity of daily life in Jerusalem, in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The films in the 2008 collection are:

Bus Station, by Lily Sheffy

You Don't Live Here Anymore, by Nizar Abu Zayyad

The Third House, by Yoram Ron

The Largest Mammals in Jerusalem, by Nitsan Shorf Domidiano

Archaeology of Ownership, by Noga Almi Hantke

Children's Story, by Daniel Gal

Boulders, by Eran Sahar

Two Houses and a Longing, by Dorit Naaman

Noor and Nar, by Saeed Khairaldeen

Home, by Marwah Jabara Tibi

The films in the 2009 collection are:

The Little Western Wall, by Liviu Babich

In Israel's Custody, by Radwan Duha

Prince of Jerusalem, by Shabaneh Momen

Hamamm al-Ayn and Me, by Nihad Sabri Markesto

Bus, by Yasmine Novak

Nine to Five, by Daniel Gal

Ghetto Town, by Amber Fares and Avi Goldstein

Supporting Grassroots Civil Society
Ir Amim has worked with several Palestinian non-profit organizations to help to strengthen civil society in East Jerusalem. Emphasis is placed on organizations that work to improve infrastructure (sanitation, water, roads, sidewalks), street utilities (streetlamps, bus stops) or neighborhood services (clinics, emergency services, mail delivery, waste collection). An example of one such organization is Nuran, which provides emergency ambulance service in East Jerusalem.

Issues
Some of the issues that Ir Amim engages with include:

Jewish construction in East Jerusalem

Home demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem

The Separation Barrier in Jerusalem

Excavations in the Old City and Historic Basin (including Silwan)

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Freedom of Movement in Jerusalem

Planning and Construction in East Jerusalem

Education in East Jerusalem

Municipal Services in East Jerusalem, such as sewage, electricity, and trash collection

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