Planning for Oppression

This thesis seeks to identify the effects of Israeli urban planning policies on Palestinian access to housing in East Jerusalem. This study consists of two main parts, the first being an analysis of past and present Israeli laws, policies, and procedures regarding planning and land use as well as past and ongoing planning practices that exist within Jerusalem. The second part consists of interviews conducted with professors of urban planning, experts from various non-governmental organizations working on planning and land use issues within Palestine and Israel, and Palestinians who are currently living (or have lived) in East Jerusalem under the illegal Israeli occupation. Participants were asked a series of questions regarding housing, policies and procedures, and personal experiences and opinions. This thesis analyzes the Israeli urban planning system, both policies and practices, and its effects on Palestinian access to housing through the lens of planning control, as proposed by Yiftachel, and concludes that Israel exhibits control in all four of these dimensions: territorial, procedural, socioeconomic, and cultural. This research showcases the current state of planning East Jerusalem, which is perpetually hindered by Israel, and offers recommendations, including long-term and short-term changes such as an end to the illegal occupation, to better address the needs of the Palestinian people and facilitate future research.