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Israel Redefines, Divides East Jerusalem Palestinians

Israel's policies toward east Jerusalem Palestinians are another form of "divide and conquer," writes Geoffrey Aronson.
A section of the controversial Israeli barrier is seen between the Shuafat refugee camp (R), in the West Bank near Jerusalem, and Pisgat Zeev (rear), in an area Israel annexed to Jerusalem after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East war, January 27, 2012. Israel has presented Palestinians with its ideas for the borders and security arrangements of a future Palestinian state, in a bid to keep exploratory talks alive, Palestinian and Israeli sources said on Friday. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITIC

Israel has just announced a new policy regarding the rights of Palestinians with Jerusalem ID cards who find themselves living in homes outside the municipal borders of the city, but on the Israeli side of the separation barrier.

Israel’s Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has ordered an end to the revocation of social welfare rights of these “Jerusalem Palestinians.” The decision affects about 5,000 people, who will once again the enjoy the health and welfare advantages of the coveted “blue identity card” granted to Palestinians living in “east” Jerusalem, an “inseparable” part of Israel’s “eternal capital.”

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