Settlements and the City: The Paradox of Jerusalem’s Colonial Space

This article discusses Palestinian migration to Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem constructed after 1967. The article analyzes everyday life in the city, with a special focus on the French Hill neighborhood, as a basis for discussing what we term the paradox of the colonial-urban space of Jerusalem: Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem were planned, designed, and marketed as part of the “Judaization” of the city; yet the migration of Palestinians to these sites counters such attempts. The settlements are often considered as a site of ethnic separation and segregation — and indeed Jewish settlements in the West Bank, outside of Jerusalem, are fortified, fenced, and supplied with infrastructure for Jews only. Yet, in this article we propose a complementary view of urban settlements, highlighting the vast spectrum of urban dynamics by examining a system of contradictions – namely, of Palestinians settling in Jewish neighborhoods/settlements. Importantly, urban settlements exist elsewhere, for example in Hebron, which has a highly militarized enclave, but the case of East Jerusalem, which has a special legal and geopolitical status, produces a paradox that opens new possibilities for Palestinians.