Why Are So Few Building Permits Granted in East Jerusalem?
The State Comptroller recorded 965 permits granted in the east of Jerusalem against 6,003 in the west, 2010 to 2014.
965 building permits were granted in the Arab neighbourhoods of the east of Jerusalem across 2010 to 2014, against 6,003 in the Jewish neighbourhoods of the west, on figures the State Comptroller of Israel published in its 2016 audit of the Jerusalem local planning and building committee. The same audit recorded 1,609 permit applications from the east against 9,143 from the west, and the Comptroller attributed the small number of applications to a shortage of outline plans, a shortage of municipal infrastructure and the absence of land settlement. The permit and application counts are the Jerusalem Municipality’s own licensing records, examined by Israel’s state audit institution.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 965 | Permits granted in the east of the city | 2010 to 2014 |
| 6,003 | Permits granted in the west of the city | 2010 to 2014 |
| About 14% | The east’s share of the 6,968 permits granted city-wide | 2010 to 2014 |
| 1,609 | Permit applications submitted from the east | 2010 to 2014 |
| 9,143 | Permit applications submitted from the west | 2010 to 2014 |
| About 15% | The east’s share of the 10,752 applications submitted | 2010 to 2014 |
| About 20% | Share of housing units approved city-wide that were approved in the east | 2010 to 2014 |
| About 10,000 | Illegal structures in East Jerusalem not being dealt with, on the municipal prosecution’s own document | Early 2016 |
Source: State Comptroller of Israel, 2016 audit of the Jerusalem local planning and building committee. Permits and applications are separate counts.
The Comptroller counts 965 permits in East Jerusalem against 6,003
The State Comptroller recorded 6,968 building permits granted across Jerusalem in the five years, 965 of them in the east and 6,003 in the west, which the audit writes as about 14% and about 86%. These are permits granted, the Municipality’s own licensing records as examined by the state auditor, and one permit may carry many housing units. The yearly split runs from 180 in the east and 1,135 in the west in 2010 to 210 and 1,272 in 2014.
East Jerusalem produced 1,609 of 10,752 permit applications
The State Comptroller published the application counts alongside the permit counts, and 1,609 of the 10,752 applications submitted city-wide across the five years came from the east, about 15%. The audit reports applications submitted and permits granted as two separate series, drawn from the Municipality’s own records, and does not present the difference between them as refusals.
| Year | Applications, east | Applications, west |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 263 | 1,653 |
| 2011 | 273 | 2,033 |
| 2012 | 345 | 1,774 |
| 2013 | 367 | 1,875 |
| 2014 | 361 | 1,808 |
| Total | 1,609 | 9,143 |
Source: State Comptroller of Israel, 2016. Applications submitted to the Jerusalem local committee.
The Comptroller names 3 constraints behind the low application count
The State Comptroller attributed the small number of applications submitted from the east to structural constraints, and named three. The audit also records what the planning bodies said in reply in May 2016, and those replies are the bodies’ own accounts of their own conduct.
- A shortage of outline plans on which permits could be based.
- A shortage of municipal infrastructure, including water and sewage.
- The absence of land settlement, which produces uncertainty of title.
The Jerusalem District Planner replied in May 2016 that the District Committee had acted to ease planning in the east, including a very lenient procedure for proving connection to the land. The Jerusalem Municipality replied in May 2016 that the relatively low number of permits issued in the east results from the small number of applications submitted to it, and that it works to encourage permits and completion certificates.
About 20% of approved housing units were in the east
The State Comptroller recorded that about 20% of the housing units approved city-wide across 2010 to 2014 were approved in the east of the city, a different measure from the 14% share of permits, because permits and housing units are counted separately. The audit set that share against a population share, and the Central Bureau of Statistics publishes its own count of the city’s residents.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| About 20% | Housing units approved city-wide that were approved in the east | State Comptroller of Israel | 2010 to 2014 |
| Close to 40% | Share of Jerusalem’s population living in the Arab neighbourhoods | State Comptroller of Israel | 2016 audit |
| 39.5% | Arab share of Jerusalem residents | Central Bureau of Statistics | End of 2023 |
| 60.5% | Jews and Others share of Jerusalem residents | Central Bureau of Statistics | End of 2023 |
The Comptroller set the approval shares beside the population share to conclude that there are large gaps between the Arab and the Jewish neighbourhoods. The population share is a count of residents and is not a permit entitlement.
The audit publishes no permit refusal count and none after 2014
The State Comptroller’s tables run 2010 to 2014 and record applications submitted and permits granted only. Nothing in the published audit is a count of the following, so the 644 difference between the eastern application and permit totals may not be read as refusals.
- Applications refused.
- Applications withdrawn.
- Applications still pending at the close of the period.
- Any Israeli permit series for the years after 2014.
A document formulated in early 2016 by the municipal prosecution, which the audit relays, records about 10,000 illegal structures in East Jerusalem not being dealt with, given resource constraints and the extensive scope. That is the prosecution’s own count of cases it is not handling, and it is not a count of structures found unlawful by a tribunal or a count of demolitions.
Which figures here may not be added together?
The east of the city, in these audits, means the roughly 70 square kilometres over which Israel applied its law, jurisdiction and administration in June 1967 and annexed to the Jerusalem municipal boundary, as the State Comptroller defines it in its report on social services for the Arab population of East Jerusalem.
Applications, permits granted and housing units approved are three different universes with three different shares, about 15%, about 14% and about 20%, and none may be restated as another. The Comptroller’s permit and application data are the Jerusalem Municipality’s own records, audited by the state auditor. The population shares are counts of residents and belong to a different measurement again.
Questions readers ask
How many building permits did East Jerusalem get?
The State Comptroller recorded 965 permits granted in the Arab neighbourhoods of the east across 2010 to 2014, against 6,003 in the west, 6,968 in all.
What share of Jerusalem permits went to the east?
About 14%, on the State Comptroller’s 2016 audit, covering permits granted between 2010 and 2014.
How many applications came from East Jerusalem?
The State Comptroller published 1,609 applications from the east across 2010 to 2014, against 9,143 from the west, 10,752 in all.
Does the audit say how many applications were refused?
No. The State Comptroller reports applications submitted and permits granted, and publishes no count of applications refused, withdrawn or pending.
What reasons does the Comptroller give for the low number of applications?
The State Comptroller named a shortage of outline plans, a shortage of municipal infrastructure including water and sewage, and the absence of land settlement, which produces uncertainty of title.
What did the Jerusalem Municipality say?
The Jerusalem Municipality stated in May 2016 that the relatively low number of permits issued in the east results from the small number of applications submitted to it, and that it works to encourage permits.
What did the district planning body say?
The Jerusalem District Planner stated in May 2016 that the District Committee had acted to ease planning in the east, including a very lenient procedure for proving connection to the land.
Is the 20% figure the same as the 14%?
No. The State Comptroller recorded about 20% as the share of housing units approved city-wide in the east, and about 14% as the share of permits granted there. They count different things.
How many people live in the Arab neighbourhoods of Jerusalem?
The State Comptroller put the figure at close to 40% of the city’s population, and the Central Bureau of Statistics counted 39.5% of Jerusalem residents as Arabs at the end of 2023.
Does Israel publish permit figures for years after 2014?
Not in this audit. The State Comptroller’s tables stop at 2014, and no later Israeli permit series for East Jerusalem is carried here.
What is the figure of about 10,000 structures?
A document formulated in early 2016 by the municipal prosecution, relayed by the State Comptroller, records about 10,000 illegal structures in East Jerusalem not being dealt with, on the prosecution’s own count.
Does the audit address land expropriation?
No. The State Comptroller examined the local planning and building committee and its licensing, and the audit publishes nothing on expropriation.
Sources
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2024. Selected Data on the Occasion of Jerusalem Day, 2024. Media release. Official statistics.
- State Comptroller of Israel, 2016. The Local Committee for Planning and Building, Jerusalem Municipality. Reports on the audit of local government. library.mevaker.gov.il. Official audit report.
- State Comptroller of Israel. Social Services for the Arab Population of East Jerusalem. mevaker.gov.il. Official audit report.
