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Political Background: The Oslo Accord
AI-' Eizariya (Bethany) is one of East Jerusalem's eastern neighborhoods located on the historic Jerusalem-Jericho route, two miles from Jerusalem. The reality of al-'Eizariya has changed dramatically in the last two decades. After the Oslo Accords (1993) were signed, al-'Eizariya expanded to accommodate the flood of migrants who arrived due to an economic boom and the political expectation that it would be part of the future capital of the state of Palestine. All this economic growth has since been disrupted by the failure of the Oslo Accords' and the construction of the Separation Wall beginning in 2002.2
The Separation Wall disconnected al-'Eizariya from East Jerusalem and cut off the main road connecting East Jerusalem with Jericho which passed through al-'Eizariya. This forced many shops at the eastern entrance to close, since they were now inaccessible to shoppers from East Jerusalem, as well as to those who use to pass by on their way to the Ma'ale Adumim settlement2 or to the city of Jericho. Furthermore, the unemployment rate has risen because those who worked in Jerusalem are now unable to reach their jobs. Similarly, schools and hospitals in East Jerusalem, located within walking distance from the town, are now out of reach. Women in labor and those requiring advanced medical care now must drive to the nearest hospitals in Jericho or Ramallah. These hardships have caused a mass migration out of al-'Eizariya, and dozens of houses stand empty. Most of the Jerusalemites who came to al-'Eizariya as a result of the housing crisis in East Jerusalem have moved back into the city because crossing the border and passing through checkpoint inspections has proven too disruptive to their daily lives; many were also concerned about losing their Jerusalem residency status.
The Empirical Research
The first thing I observed in al-'Eizariya was the chaos: rubbish on the sidewalk at the entrance, unlicensed transportation vehicles, traffic jams, unpaved side streets and unorganized high-rise buildings. Isam Faroon, who had been the mayor of al-'Eizariya during the period in which the wall was built, explained:
There is no possibility to expand horizontally, al-'Eizariya's extended land was confiscated by the Israelis to build the settlement of Ma 'ale Adumim, the bypass road and the Wall, the...