Ramat Shlomo
Encyclopedia
Ramat Shlomo is a large Jewish housing development in northern East Jerusalem
. The population, mostly ultra-Orthodox, is 18,000-20,000.
Ramat Shlomo was built on land formerly occupied by Jordan from 1948 through 1967 and captured by Israel
in the 1967 Six-Day War
and occupied since. In a move ruled null and void by the UN Security Council, Israel subsequently unilaterally annexed East Jerusalem and surrounding areas. Ramot Shlomo is considered an Israeli settlement
by the international community, although Israel
disputes this and considers it a neighborhood within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law
, though Israel disputes this.
to the west, Har Hotzvim
to the south, and Shuafat
to the east. Initially called Reches Shuafat (Shuafat Ridge), it was later named for Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
.
Originally Ramat Shlomo was supposed to be the site of the Teddy Stadium. After lengthy protest by Haredi Jews living in neighborhoods overlooking the future stadium, the stadium was moved to the Malha neighbourhood.
Less than 200 meters separate the neighborhood's furthermost houses from the first row of homes in Shuafat and Beit Hanina
.
In June 2008, Israel's interior ministry approved construction of an additional 1,300 apartments in Ramat Shlomo. Israel says that most of the building is on land annexed by the state and thus does not violate its commitment not to build on disputed land.
In March 2010, the Jerusalem municipality approved the construction of an additional 1,600 apartments in Ramat Shlomo. The announcement coincided with the visit of U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden
, angering the U.S. government and prompting the Palestinian Authority to pull out of US-brokered indirect "proximity talks" intended to revive the peace process. The European Union
was also critical of the decision.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
replied that Israel's policy on building in Jerusalem was the same policy followed by all Israeli governments over the past 42 years, and had not changed.
on land captured by Israel
in the 1967 Six-Day War
and annexed to Israel in a move not recognised by the international community. As such it is considered an Israeli settlement
in East Jerusalem
by the international community. Israel
disputes this and considers Ramat Shlomo to be a neighborhood within the Israeli designated borders of Jerusalem. The New York Times printed an article referring to Ramat Shlomo as a settlement in the West Bank and two days later issued a correction, stating that "[i]t is a neighborhood in East Jerusalem, not a settlement in the West Bank".
The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, violating the Fourth Geneva Convention
's prohibition on transferring civilian population into territory held under military occupation
. Israel disputes that East Jerusalem is occupied territory and rejects that settlements are illegal.
from the period of the Second Temple
was found at Ramat Shlomo. King Herod
used stones from this quarry for his massive construction project which expanded the Temple Mount. Stones extracted from the quarry were of the magnitude of several tons.
Synagogue in Ramat Shlomo is an exact replica of the Lubavitcher rebbe's house at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York.
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 population, mostly ultra-Orthodox, is 18,000-20,000.
Ramat Shlomo was built on land formerly occupied by Jordan from 1948 through 1967 and captured by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
and occupied since. In a move ruled null and void by the UN Security Council, Israel subsequently unilaterally annexed East Jerusalem and surrounding areas. Ramot Shlomo is considered an Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
by the international community, although Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
disputes this and considers it a neighborhood within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law
International law and Israeli settlements
The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories illegal under international law, but Israel maintains that they are consistent with international law because it does not agree that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the...
, though Israel disputes this.
History
Ramat Shlomo was founded in 1995. It borders RamotRamot
Ramot , also known as Ramot Alon , is a large housing development in northwestern Jerusalem. Because part of Ramot lies north of the Green Line in East Jerusalem, the international community considers Ramot an Israeli settlement that is illegal under international law. Israel disputes this and...
to the west, Har Hotzvim
Har Hotzvim
Har Hotzvim , also Campus of Science-Rich Industries is a high-tech industrial park located in northwest Jerusalem, Israel. It is the city's main zone for science-based and technology industries, among them Intel, Teva, Amdocs, NDS, Ophir Optronics, Sandvine, Radware and IDT Global Israel...
to the south, and Shuafat
Shuafat
Shu'fat , also Shuafat and Sha'fat, is a Palestinian Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem, forming part of north-eastern Jerusalem. Located on the old Jerusalem-Ramallah road about three miles north of the Old City, Shuafat has a population of 35,000 residents...
to the east. Initially called Reches Shuafat (Shuafat Ridge), it was later named for Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach , was a renowned Orthodox Jewish rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva of the Kol Torah yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel...
.
Originally Ramat Shlomo was supposed to be the site of the Teddy Stadium. After lengthy protest by Haredi Jews living in neighborhoods overlooking the future stadium, the stadium was moved to the Malha neighbourhood.
Less than 200 meters separate the neighborhood's furthermost houses from the first row of homes in Shuafat and Beit Hanina
Beit Hanina
Beit Hanina is a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem on the road to Ramallah. It is bordered by Hizma to the east, Shuafat to the south, Beit Iksa and Nabi Samwil to the west, and Bir Nabala, al-Jib, Kafr Aqab and ar-Ram to the north. The total area of Beit Hanina is 20 sq. kilometers...
.
In June 2008, Israel's interior ministry approved construction of an additional 1,300 apartments in Ramat Shlomo. Israel says that most of the building is on land annexed by the state and thus does not violate its commitment not to build on disputed land.
In March 2010, the Jerusalem municipality approved the construction of an additional 1,600 apartments in Ramat Shlomo. The announcement coincided with the visit of U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
, angering the U.S. government and prompting the Palestinian Authority to pull out of US-brokered indirect "proximity talks" intended to revive the peace process. The European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
was also critical of the decision.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
replied that Israel's policy on building in Jerusalem was the same policy followed by all Israeli governments over the past 42 years, and had not changed.
Political status
The neighborhood is across the Green LineGreen Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
on land captured by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
and annexed to Israel in a move not recognised by the international community. As such it is considered an Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
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...
by the international community. Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
disputes this and considers Ramat Shlomo to be a neighborhood within the Israeli designated borders of Jerusalem. The New York Times printed an article referring to Ramat Shlomo as a settlement in the West Bank and two days later issued a correction, stating that "[i]t is a neighborhood in East Jerusalem, not a settlement in the West Bank".
The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, violating the Fourth Geneva Convention
Fourth Geneva Convention
The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, commonly referred to as the Fourth Geneva Convention and abbreviated as GCIV, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It was adopted in August 1949, and defines humanitarian protections for civilians...
's prohibition on transferring civilian population into territory held under military occupation
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
. Israel disputes that East Jerusalem is occupied territory and rejects that settlements are illegal.
Archaeology
A quarryQuarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
from the period of the Second Temple
Second Temple
The Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...
was found at Ramat Shlomo. King Herod
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
used stones from this quarry for his massive construction project which expanded the Temple Mount. Stones extracted from the quarry were of the magnitude of several tons.
Landmarks
The ChabadChabad
Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
Synagogue in Ramat Shlomo is an exact replica of the Lubavitcher rebbe's house at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York.