A “blatant” gap in the distribution of shelters in Jerusalem policy

Data published on the official website of the Municipality of the occupation showed in Jerusalem A great vary in the distribution of general shelters between the two parts of the city, as 550 shelters are concentrated in western Jerusalem occupied in 1948, where the majority of Judaism, compared to only 51 in its occupied eastern in 1967, which is inhabited by about 40% of the population, the majority of them are Palestinians.

This gap emerged flagrantly during the recent confrontation between Israel and Iran, which witnessed the bombing of Israel with hundreds of Iranian missiles, where some houses were wounded, and the fire erupted in another, inside the Palestinian neighborhoods of Shuafat, Al -Khuda, the leader, Al -Issawiya, Wadi al -Jawz, north and east of occupied Jerusalem, due to the fall of objectionable missiles.

The data indicates, according to a statement by the Israeli “Air Amim” human rights organization, that the municipality – in response to the instructions of the Domestic Front command – prepared 45 underground car parks for use as general shelters, but it allocated it to the city’s western.

With the start of the Israeli -Iranian attacks and the launch of the sirens in Jerusalem, the issue of Jerusalemites’ lack of safe shelters or fortified rooms due to the racist discrimination policy of the occupation authorities towards the city’s residents.
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Al -Jazeera Net Jerusalem (@aljazeeraquds) June 16, 2025

According to the figures, the city includes 186 general shelters, all in the west of the city, while there are no general shelters of this type east of the city except those in schools, which are less secure.

The number of the total shelters in Jerusalem is 611 shelters, of which 550 in the west of the city, compared to only 51 in its east, or only 8% of the total shelters, where 40% of the population lives in it.

This severe disparity in the distribution of emergency infrastructure – according to Air Amim – raises the concerns of systematic discrimination in providing protection, especially in light of repeated security escaations and the absence of clear plans that guarantee the security of all the city’s residents on an equal footing.

According to the estimates of the Israeli Central Statistics Department for the year 2024, the city’s population is one million, including about 400,000 Palestinians, all in the eastern part.