Beit Safafa

This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.Beit Safafa (Arabic: بيت صفافا, Hebrew: בית צפפה; lit.

It had a population of 41 Muslim households who paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, grapes or fruit trees, and goats or beehives; a total of 11,800 akçe.

[27] During the period when the neighborhood was divided, a two-foot high barbed wire fence was erected down the middle of the main street with Arab Legionnaires and Israeli soldiers guarding on each side.

[32] In 2012, Bakehila, an organization founded by Erel Margalit of Jerusalem Venture Partners to aid children from underprivileged neighborhoods, opened an educational enrichment center in Beit Safafa.

[33] In 2012, an urban development plan approved by the Jerusalem Municipality announced a project to build four new roads in Beit Safafa.

Israeli author David Grossman wrote that the plan was adopted without public scrutiny and would harm the character of the neighborhood.

[36] Naomi Tzur, deputy mayor of Jerusalem and holder of the urban planning portfolio, said that the residents were "taking advantage of the political situation to turn a local concern into an international story.

When the residents of Beit Hakerem conducted their fight over their part of Begin Highway, the international media wasn't interested.

"[37] In June 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that the 1-mile stretch of highway crossing Beit Safafa would cause unacceptable damage to the residents' quality of life.

Beit Safafa's lawyers say the construction of an acoustically insulated tunnel that puts the road underground and protects the area's geographic integrity might be an acceptable solution.