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Introduction–ChallengestoDevelopmentinEastJerusalemJerusalem is one of the most contested cities in the world today, with claims over itssovereignty ranging back centuries. Since the occupation of East Jerusalem (EJ) in 1967,Israel has sustained military and civil control of East Jerusalem. Although there was no“formal”annexationorclaimoffullsovereigntyoverEJ,itwaseffectivelyannexedbyIsraelin 1980 under the Jerusalem Law, which states “Jerusalem, complete and united, is thecapital of Israel.”1This act has been universally condemned by international actors, anddeclarednullandvoidbytheUnitedNations(UN)SecurityCouncilResolution478.Despiteinternational criticism, Jerusalem was placed under Israeli law, jurisdiction, andadministrationandremainssotoday.

Jerusalem possesses social, economic, political, and religious significance. Thus, in thepursuit to build this “united” and “undivided” capital of Israel, Israeli policies in EastJerusalem are designed to best suit Israeli security, political, and economic interests.Ongoing land annexation and settlement building continue to alter the demographic,physical, andculturalmakeupof thecity.Policies thatdiscriminateagainst thePalestinianpopulation are prevalent. These laws are constructed specifically to prevent PalestinianJerusalemites from developing a united, safe, and flourishing community, with a strongidentity, culture, and economy, grounded in social and community cohesion. Instead, adiscriminatory permit and zoning system, inequitable citizenship law, limited municipalautonomy, the building of the Separation Barrier, and exclusionary urban plans, havecombinedtocreateanincreasinglyuninhabitableareaofJerusalem.

1Zahriyeh,Ehab,“WhoownsJerusalem?”AlJazeera.30thOctober2014.<http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/10/30/jerusalem-statusinternationalregime.html>

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Overthepastthreedecades,thesituationinEJhasseverelydeteriorated,raisingconcernsforkeystakeholderswhoareatalossforhowbesttoaddresstheongoingoccupationandstructurally inequitable policies. An OCHA led fact-finding mission 2 reported thatapproximately298,000PalestiniansliveinJerusalem.Outofthese,tensofthousandshavebeen isolatedbehindthe2002SeparationBarrier, inexceedinglydisadvantagedsituations,oftencaughtinareaswithnoclearsovereigntyandwithlittleaccesstomunicipalservices,either inJerusalemortheWestBank.ManyPalestiniansfeelforcedtorelocatetoareasintheWest Bank, given the systemic challenges facing them in accessing equitable housing,employment, education, health care and other social services. Furthermore, it has beennoted that the Jerusalem authority only allocates approximately 10%of its budget to EJ,3with the remainder going to West Jerusalem. There are huge socio-economic disparitiesbetweenthetwoareas,totheextentthattheycouldbeclassified intotwoquitedifferenthumandevelopmentcategories.4

Despite the extremely complex challenges of living in EJ - the daily and consistentinterruptionstonormallife,theongoingviolence,oppression,andhumiliation,andconstanterosionof theexistingsocietal fabric - residentshaveremainedrootedto the land. In thisway,EJPalestinianshavealreadydemonstratedtheirresiliency,andwillingnesstopersevereinthefaceofconsiderablediscrimination.Wethereforeseektoexplorethisresiliency,findwaystochannel it towardsaunifiedgoal,andgoonestepfurther, totakeresiliencefrommerelycopingandadaptingtogenuinetransformation.

AGeographyofFearThecomplexbiasedspatial-legalnexusinEJhascreatedwhatwastermedthe“geographyoffear”5in 2007, an expression that remains highly relevant almost ten years later. Thisgeography of fear is characterised by a multitude of discriminatory policies: unendingsettlement-building, which seeks to change the demographic nature of the city; thedemolitionorconfiscationofPalestinianhomesthroughacombinationofrestrictivezoningandpermitlaws;theconstructionoftheSeparationBarrier,whichconstitutesaphysicalandpsychologicaldivisionbetweenEJcommunitiesandtheircounterpartsintheWestBank;andfinally, through unequal urban planning processes, which, inter alia, change traditionallyArab zones into Israeli ones, promote Israeli residency, and limit Palestinian permits forconstruction.

Itisestimatedthatonly13%ofEastJerusalemiszonedforPalestinianconstruction,muchofwhich is already built-up, creating serious housing shortages for the growing localpopulation. Despite this, it is reported that at least a third of the Palestinian residents ofJerusalem do not have the appropriate building permits, which are difficult to obtain, tobuildorrehabilitatetheirhomes.Itisestimatedthatatleast90,000residentsareatriskofdisplacement. The fragmentation and inequality created by this situation also has amultipliereffectbycreatingaPalestinianidentitycrisisthroughsocialdisintegration,limitedeconomic growth, the inhibition of Palestinian decision-making power, and untoldpsychologicaldamage.

2 East Jerusalem: Key Humanitarian Issues. OCHA. 2014. See: http://www.ochaopt.org/content/east-jerusalem-key-humanitarian-concerns-august-20143Thrall,N.2014.RageinJerusalem.LondonReviewofBooks.Availableat:<http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n23/nathan-thrall/rage-in-jerusalem>.4 Palestine is classified as ‘medium’ human development (including EJ), whereas Israel is classified as ‘very high’ humandevelopment. While the Human Development Index does not account for internal inequalities, this is telling of thedevelopmentdisparitybetweenEastandWest. 5 Benvenisti, Meron. “Jerusalem, Past, Present and Future.” Palestine-Israel Journal. 40:1. 2007. <http://www.pij.org/details.php?id=1050>

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Indeed, settlement expansion and citizenship law has not only fragmented existingcommunitiesandpreventedotherPalestinians fromsettling in Jerusalem,buthas led toaJewishpopulation increasethatnowfaroutstripsthePalestinianpopulation,suggestiveoftheIsraeliwilltosimultaneouslyincreasetheIsraelipopulationanddisplacethePalestinianpopulationofEJ.ThisismadeclearinIsraelimaster-plans,whichenvisionJerusalemin2050asanIsraelitechnologicalhub,whichhasaminimalPalestinianpopulation.Thesestrategiesworksimultaneouslytocomplicateandobscuretheabilitytoachievetheeconomic,political,social,andpsychologicalwell-beingofPalestiniansinEJ.

DiscriminatoryLegalSystemThisgeographyoffearisverymuchgroundedinthediscriminatorylegalsystem.PalestinianresidentsofJerusalemarenotgrantedfullIsraelicitizenship,butareinsteadgiventhestatusof“permanentresidents”.Thisiscomplicatedbytheprejudiced“centreoflife”policy,whichrequires Palestinian residents, and not Israelis, to prove that their ambiguously defined“centre of life” remains Jerusalem at all times. Any extended period of time overseas,employmentoreducationinanothercity,ormarriagetoaPalestinianfromtheWestBankendangers a Palestinians’ “centre of life” status, creating another constraint on thePalestinianpopulation.Losingyour“centreoflife”statusresultsinevictionfromJerusalem.

The Israeli government allows Jerusalem Palestinians to apply for Israeli citizenship,provided that they swear allegiance to Israel and denounce all other citizenships. Despitethe fact that most Palestinians are unwilling to denounce their Palestinian citizenship,regardlessofwhethertheywouldbeabletoaccessbetterlegalrightsandprotectionsunderIsraeli law, greater numbers of Palestinians have been applying for Israeli citizenship inrecentyears,atrendthatspeakstothecarefullyplannedIsraelistrategyofplacingpressureon the Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem.6Although an Israeli passport does afford greater6 Barakat, Riman. “Quietly, East Jerusalem Palestinians acquiring Israeli citizenship.” +972 Magazine. May 20th 2012.<http://972mag.com/quietly-east-jerusalem-palestinians-are-becoming-israeli-citizens/46298>

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rights–freedomofmovement,mostsignificantly–itisalsocreatinggreaterfragmentationin Palestinian identity and community in EJ. The proliferating effect of this is greatereconomic,political,andsocialstrifeanddisadvantage.

PsychosocialImpactThe unequal, discriminatory, and violent status quo in Jerusalemhas led to high levels ofpsychosocialconcerns,trauma,unsafecopingmechanisms,socialdiscord,andcompoundedinstability inallareas.Furthermore,thishascausedhighlevelsoffrustrationatthelimitedopportunity and lack of freedom, particularly among young people, who feel they havelimitedornocontrolovertheirownfutures.

TheisolationofEastJerusalemcausedbytheSeparationBarrierandcloserproximitytotheIsraelipopulationhasledtosocialfragmentationbothwithinEJcommunities,andbetweenEJandtherestoftheoccupiedPalestinianterritory.Thelegalandpoliticalopacitycoupledwithunclearnationalidentityareleadingcausesofpsychosocialconcernswithinthearea.

ProtractedexposuretotraumaandviolencehasledtohighlevelsofPTSDwithinEJsociety,aswell as poormental health, and symptoms such as violent aggression. Together, theselikelyleadtounsafecopingmechanisms,7includingincreasingdrugandalcoholconsumption,unprotected sexual activity, leading to HIV/AIDS and STDs, and the greater prevalence ofviolence. Drug use is of particular concern due to the inability of Palestinian lawenforcementauthoritiestopolicethisarea.Asaresult,drugsclassifiedasillegalintheStateof Palestine are widely traded in Jerusalem and drug dealers are not prosecuted.8Thediversionofthepopulation’sattention,particularlyyoungpeople,tounsafecopingmethodsisofparticularconcerntoresilience-basedprogramming.

Innovativeandsafecopingalternativesmustbeintroducedtoyoungpeople.Solutionsmustbe provided that consider the psychosocial impact of socio-economic stagnation, identityconfusion, loss of culture, instability and constant fear, poor social services, and internaltensions.

7Massad,SalwaGetal.“SubstanceuseamongPalestinianyouthintheWestBank,Palestine:aqualitativeinvestigation.”BMCPublicHealth.16:800.Accessibleat<https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-3472-4>8Ibid

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TransformativeResilience:ANewApproachAfteralmost50yearsofoccupation,conditionshaveonlydeteriorated.It istimethereforeforkeystakeholderstotakeamomenttorethinkaidtoEJ–whyisitnotworkingandwhatcanbedonetoremedythis?Therefore,therestofthispaperwillproposeanewframeworkfor aid, grounded in transformative resilience, which will inform future interventions toempowerthepeopleofEJ.

While resilience approaches are ubiquitouswithin aid programming today, transformativeresilience seeks to go beyond helping populations cope or adapt to ongoing or recurrentshocks,butinsteadtotransformthemselves.Thismeansthatpeoplereturnnotonlytotheirprevious level of welfare, but transcend this to become empowered. Thus, becomingresilient will not only help to reduce the vulnerability of individuals, communities, andsystems, butwill take thema step further in proactively empowering thosewho arenowresilienttomovebeyondmerecopingandadapting,totransforming.Thisapproachseekstotacklenotonlythesymptomsofprotractedcrisis,buttheactualrootcausesofintersectingvulnerabilities. Most importantly, the resilience approach takes into accountintersectionality,andseekstoreachthemostvulnerablewithinasociety,toensurethatnooneisleftbehindandthatexistingunequalpowerstructuresarenotproppeduponceagain.

AreasofInterventionDespitetheaforementioned,complex,andinterlinkedchallenges,“theIsraeligovernment’sceaseless efforts… at making EJ an integral part of Israel have so far been thwarted byPalestinian resilience and collectivememory.”9It is this existing resilience thatwe seek toharnesstobecometransformativeandimprovetheuntenablesituationforEJresidents.

9Kamrava,Mehran.TheImpossibilityofPalestine:History,Geography,andtheRoadAhead. NewHaven,CT:YaleUniversityPress,2016.

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The existing development (socio-economic deterioration; lack of political representation;inabilityforadvancement;limitedaccesstoservices;paucityoflawenforcement,andsoon)andhumanitarian(forceddemolitions;forcedevictions;settlerviolence;psychosocialneeds;and soon) combine to create a unique situation,which requires nuanced and consideredthought. The concurrent development and humanitarian challenges must be tackledsimultaneously and in a consistent manner, to confront the root causes of vulnerabilityratherthanthesymptoms.

NationalIdentityandCommunityCohesionPalestinian Jerusalemites are greatly disadvantagedby their isolation from the rest of theoccupied Palestinian territory. Spatial fragmentation and isolation has alsomanifested asnational,community,andpsychologicalfragmentationandseparationfromtherestoftheirPalestinianpeers.This isworsenedbytheSeparationBarrier,whichalsodividedJerusalemcommunities, to those within and outside of the Wall. Although international actors doconsiderEJpartoftheWestBank,thisdisintegrationofasenseofcommunityisparticularlydamaging.WhileresidentsofEJconsiderthemselvesPalestinian,theyarealsoJerusalemites,afacetthat issimilarlyseeninotherareasoftheStateofPalestine.Thisstateofconfusednational identity has led to a breakdown in social and community cohesion, which is animportantprerequisiteforbothafutureindependentstateandaresilientone.

TheinabilityofthePalestiniangovernmenttogovernallareasoftheStateofPalestinehasalsoledtoagreaterbreakdowninsocialcohesion,wherePalestiniansindifferentareasoftheStateofPalestinearegovernedbydifferentstructures,withvaryinglevelsofsovereignty.Dissimilarstructuresofgovernancehavealsoledtoadifferingrightssituationineacharea,whichhas led to internaldiscordanda lackofunitybetweenareas.To those inGazaandAreaCoftheWestBank,itseemsthatresidentsofEJhavegreaterrightsthanindividualsinother areas, particularly in terms of freedom ofmovement. Yet, EJ residents face uniquechallenges not faced by other areas, particularly impacted by the absence of accountablegovernance,workingfortherightsofthePalestinianresidentsofEJ.ThedivisivenatureofIsraeli policy in each area is manifested in internal discord, the major cause of nationaldisunityandlackofcommonnationalobjectivesandplans.ThishasbeenfurtherworsenedbytheIsraelizationpolicy,whichhasbeenslowlyerodingthePalestiniancharacteristicofEJandPalestiniannationalidentity.

Onapractical level, interventionsthusmustworktowardsincreasingthelinksbetweenEJand the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, to foster efforts to create one nationalPalestinian identity.Palestinian residentsmust themselvesbeempowered toadvocate fortheir own rights, especially thosewho are already socially disadvantaged, such aswomenandyouth.ThisisparticularlyimportantforequippingPalestinianswiththetoolsnecessaryto transform their existing situation.Programming must focus on improving the rightssituation of EJ residents, who are subject to extreme discrimination by the existing legalsystem,byimprovingaccesstojusticeandlegalrepresentation.

Onapolicylevel,internationalactorsmustlobbytheIsraeligovernmenttoradicallyalteritsresidency,zoning,andcitizenshiplaws,toendthediscriminatory“centreoflife”policy,andto provide Palestinians with the same rights as Israeli residents of Jerusalem. Advocacygroupsmust continue to document human rights violations against Palestinian residents,includingarbitraryarrests,administrativedetention,forcedevictions,forceddemolitions,aswell as those institutionalised into Israeli law. Documented violations can be utilised tolobby both the Israeli government and the international community to place pressure onIsraeltobeheldaccountabletoitsobligationsunderinternationallaw.

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CulturalRehabilitationCloselylinkedtocommunitycohesion,culturalrehabilitationisasignificantpartoffosteringnational identity,particularlyinanareawhereIsraelipoliciesseektoerodethePalestinianidentity (physically,culturally,andpsychologically).Thisalso includesthe Israeli limitationson religious rights and access to long-standing holy or cultural sites,most significantly Al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestinian cultural sites have long been under attack by the Israeliauthorities,whohaverepeatedlyshutdown,demolished,orbannedculturalstructures.

Onapractical level,cultural interventions,groundedintoday’smanifestationofSumudaseveryday acts of agency, emphasise a celebration of Palestinian life, perseverance, andsteadfastness through the preservation of Palestinian art, culture, music and mostimportantly, identity. Community development through cultural rehabilitation must be acornerstoneofbuildingnationalidentityandcommunitycohesion.

Onapolicylevel,lobbyingforincreasedaccesstoculturalandreligioussitesisanimportantpart of building national and cultural identity, whichwill help lead to greater communitycohesion. Interventions that help support cultural programmes are essential. Not only doculturalprogrammesfosternationalspirit,buttheyalsoactasaformofresiliencebuildingagainstthetrialsoftheoccupation.

Cultural rehabilitation includes an examination of the education system in EJ. Depleted,underfunded,andchronicallyunder-resourced,education inEJ leavesmuchtobedesired.While the national Palestinian curriculum is generally taught, since 2011 there have beenclaimsthattheIsraeliMunicipalityhasbeenpressuringschoolstoadopttheIsraeli-censoredcurriculum prepared by the Jerusalem Education Administration10by promising increasedfunding.IfthisdoesgoaheadinthemajorityofPalestinianschools,adistressingerosionofPalestinian identity, culture, andeven languagewill takeplace, asPalestinian childrenareschooledintheIsraeliwayoflife,ratherthanPalestinian.

10Arafeh,Nur.“PalestinianinitiativesinEastJerusalem:Building“resilience”or“Sumud”?”August2016.

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This is why, on a practical level, interventions into EJ must also concentrate on theeducation system by providing short-term funding to schools. On a policy level, in themedium-term, international actors must lobby the Israeli authority to provide equitablefundsandresourcestoPalestinianschool,andtoapprovepermitsfortheestablishmentofneweducationalinstitutionsandrehabilitativeconstructiontoimprovefacilities.Inthelong-term, lobbying must also focus on allowing EJ schools to be under the remit of thePalestinian Government as a means of increasing links between Palestinian children andyouth.

EconomicResilienceandSocialDevelopmentThesocio-economicsituationinEJ isdire;with limitedeconomicopportunity,potentialforgrowth,andaccesstofinance, intandemwitharestrictiveconstructionandzoningpermitsystem,thereiswidespreadfrustrationandhopelessness.However,despitethechallengingcontext,thereremainareasstillopentointerventionthatcanhelpbuildeconomicresilience.The lackof economicopportunity is consistently cited asoneof themain reasons for theoverall disadvantage and marginalization of Palestinian communities. Currently,approximately75%ofPalestinianresidentsofEJliveunderthepovertyline.11

Economic opportunity is underpinned by relevant social development interventions,specificallyaccesstobasicservices.The inadequaciesofgovernance inEJhave ledtopooraccess to already low quality services. This is particularly so for those communities thatreside behind the Separation Barrier. More specifically in areas like Kufr Aqab, Shufat,DahyateSalametc.,accesstoeducationandhealthiscontractedtoprivateparties. Israelimunicipalityworkersdonotentertheseareasandrelyonsubcontractorstosustainwastemanagement, infrastructure development, and other services. In contrast, Jewish Israelineighbourhoods in Jerusalem continue to receive a range of services that are directlymanagedbythemunicipalityanditsworkers.ItisalsowelldocumentedthatthebudgetforPalestinianresidentsinJerusalemissignificantlylowerthanIsraeliresidents.

On a policy level, international actors must lobby the Jerusalem Ministry to providePalestinian residentswith equitable access to social services, approve permit requests forthebuildingofhealthandeducationalestablishments,andremindtheGovernmentofIsraelof its obligations to provide for the citizens of an occupied state by the occupier underInternationalHumanitarianLaw(IHL).

Onapracticallevel,todevelopsuccessfulsocialinterventionsinternationalactorsmustfirstconduct strenuous community mapping across Palestinian centres in East Jerusalem, inordertogainaclearunderstandingofcurrentborders,services,andgaps.

Inmanycases,Palestinianresidentshavetakenmattersintotheirownhandsanddevelopedcommunityresponsemechanismstorespondtoinfrastructuralandserviceissues(includingwaterandelectricityshortages).TheseareasmustbedocumentedandpotentiallybolsteredtoempowerPalestiniancommunitiestobecomeincreasinglyself-sufficient.Theconceptionof ‘autonomous innovation’ is extremely relevant in designing interventions in EJ, whereresidents have repeatedly demonstrated their existing resilience. In these cases,“approaches to innovation that are inclusive, bottom-up and frugal or draw on thephilosophyof jugaad (aHindi term for cheapand simple solutions) arehighly relevant.”12Thisconceptfortifiestheframeworkoftransformativeresilience,byseekingsolutionsthat

11 Association for Civil Rights in Israel, “East Jerusalem 2015: Facts and Figures.” 12 May 2015. Accessible at:<http://www.acri.org.il/en/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/EJ-Facts-and-Figures-2015.pdf>12Bahadur,AdityaandJulianDoczi,“Unlockingresiliencethroughautonomousinnovation,”ODI.January2016.Accessibleat:<https://www.odi.org/publications/10059-unlocking-resilience-through-autonomous-innovation>

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are community- and grassroots-driven, and to institutionalise existing informal systems.Thesejugaadprinciplescanbeutilisedtoinnovateandimproveexistingpracticeinallareas,butparticularlyinsocio-economicdevelopment.

BuildingEconomicResilienceBuilding economic resilience relies on the development of Palestinian self-sufficiency andthe reductionofdependenceon the Israeli economy; findingnewways to circumvent theIsraelirestrictionsthroughautonomousinnovation;andbolsteringandinvestinginexistingsuccessfulinterventions.

ConsideringJerusalem’sworldwidereligiousandhistoricalsignificance,tourismisakeyareaforintervention.Withsome3.5milliontouristsvisitingJerusalemeveryyear,88%oftouristsstay in hotels inWest Jerusalem,while only 12%13stay in East Jerusalem. The number ofactive hotels in East Jerusalemdecreased from 30 in 2012 to 24 in 2014.14Israeli policiesstrategicallylimitPalestinianinitiativestoincreasetourismthroughmeasuressuchas:“theisolation of East Jerusalem; shortage of land available for Palestinian construction; thesubsequently high cost of land; high taxes; weak physical and economic infrastructure;difficult licensingprocedures forPalestinian touristbusinesses;obstacleson the issuingofpermitstobuildhotelsorconvertbuildingstohotels;andinvestmentofmillionsofdollarsinthe Israeli tourismmarket, leading tounequalcompetitionbetweenPalestinianand Israelitourismindustries.”15

Onapracticallevel,interventionsareneededtobetterstructurethetourismindustrywitha unified vision, and to invest in initiatives that are already demonstrating success. Theseinterventions can focusonknowledgebuilding forPalestinianactors;better structuringofthesector; increasedmarketingandvisibility; targetingnewmarkets;andencouragingthecreationofnew,innovativeproducts.Thisapproachisalreadybeingimplementedbysomeinternational actors in EJ, but requires further resources to see a long-term change.On apolicy level, internationalactorsonceagainmustadvocate for thePalestinian right to fairtourismandtradeandequitableaccesstothetourismmarket,whichiscurrentlylimitedbythepermitsystem.

Beyond the tourism sector, livelihoods must be diversified to allow for Palestinian self-sufficiency fromthe Israelioccupationeconomy.EJ residentsare furtherdisadvantagedbythehighcostof livingandweakpurchasingpower,particularlythosewhoworkwithinthePalestinian labour market. Therefore, private sector development as a whole must betargeted in EJ. Currently, there is a paucity of verified data on the most widespreadprofessions,particularlythosewithgrowthpotential.

On a practical level, the first step to building economic resilience will be to thoroughlysurvey the labourmarket share of relevant sectors in EJ, in order to increase EJ’s overallshareofthePalestinianeconomy(currentlyataroundonly7%).16Oncecompleted,aclearervision can be formulated to target growth sectors in EJ and encourage private sectorinvestment in theseareas.Ona policy level, it isextremely important to lobby the Israeliauthorities, to allow for greater equitable development. This includes approvingconstructionandzoningpermitsforneweconomicstructures,increasingtheoverallbudgettoEJresidentsinordertoimproveservicesandfacilities,andreducingimport-exporttaxes.

13Choshen,M.andKorach,M.2014.Jerusalem:factsandtrends.JerusalemInstituteforIsraelStudies(JIIS).14 PCBS. “Jerusalem Statistical Yearbook, 2015. Accessible at: <http://www.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/jq-articles/JQ%2062_Jerusalem%20Statistical.pdf>15Arafeh,Nur.“PalestinianinitiativesinEastJerusalem:Building“resilience”or“Sumud”?”August2016.16UNCTAD,DevelopmentsintheeconomyoftheOccupiedPalestinianTerritory,ReportonassistancetothePalestinianpeople(6July2015).

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Finally, one of the priority areas for investment and resources is youth development andempowerment.AsintherestofPalestine,youthcomprisealargepercentageoftheoverallpopulation,andasan importantpartof thepopulationfor fostering long-termsustainablegrowth; theymustbe invested in toseechange in Jerusalem.Onapractical level,on thesupply side youth can be provided with better skilling, in order to help bridge the gapbetweeneducationandthelabourmarket.Thiscanbeintheformoflifeskills,developmentopportunities,mentorship,entrepreneurship,theestablishmentofbusinessincubators,andencouragingtheuseofnewtechnologies.Onthedemandside,privatesectordevelopmentmustbethefirstpriorityandemployersshouldbeencouragedtoinvestinyoungpeople.

PsychosocialSupportHigh incidence of psychological andmental health concerns are pervasive in the State ofPalestine,butparticularlysoinEJwhereresidentsareexposedtohigherlevelsofviolence,instabilityanddivision.Psychosocial support is thus critical inEJ, to tackleboth the short-andlong-termadverseeffectsoftrauma.

On a practical level, increased resourcesmust be provided to integrated health services,which include psychosocial support to all residents of EJ. These should specifically targetthosegroupsthatareofteninternallymarginalizedwithinthePalestiniansociety,includingyouth, women, and persons with disabilities. Geographically, residents who live in seamzones and are trapped on either side of the Barrier should also be targeted. Integratedhealth services would help remove the stigma around psychosocial support, and shouldfocusonprovidingPalestiniancitizens,especiallyyouth,withalternativecopingmechanismsthatcanhelptodiscourageunhealthycopingmechanisms(suchasalcoholanddrugs).

On a policy level, international actors can lobby the Israeli authorities to approve thepermits necessary for the construction of integrated health services that are easilyaccessibleto,andaffordablefor,thegeneralpopulation.

AdvocacyandProtectionLegalandpoliticaladvocacyactascornerstonestothetransformativeresilienceapproach.These interventions crosscut all previously explicated areas of intervention, and withoutwhichtransformationalchangewillremainimpossible.

As part of this approach, a clear comprehensive advocacy strategy must be formulated,ascribing responsibility to major international actors that can advocate and lobby thegovernmentofIsraelformajorpolicychange.Thesestrategiesmustfocusonthelegalandpermitsystem,whichinstitutionalisesdiscriminatorymeasures.MostcriticallyhoweveristoensurethatthePalestinianpopulationisconsultedateverystep,inordertosafeguardlocalownershipofall requiredsteps,prioritising thoseareas thatareprioritisedbyEJ residentsthemselves.

Finally,protectionmeasuresmustbeincorporatedintoeverystrategicstep,toensurethatmeasures taken to build the resiliency of Palestinians in Jerusalem are not immediatelyundonebytheIsraelioccupation.

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ConclusionThe challenges facing Palestinians in East Jerusalem are widespread, interconnected, andcomplex. However, the transformative resilience approach provides a means to reallyconfronttherootcausesofthesevulnerabilities,byholisticallytargetinghumanitariananddevelopment needs. By utilising a combination of practical and policy-level interventions,resilience programming in East Jerusalemwill be able tomake both short- and long-termsustainablechange.Incorporatingprinciplesofautonomousinnovationallowsforanewwayof thinking that privileges bottom-up, community-driven, and flexible planning,accompaniedbyalong-termcommittedvisionforthefuture,whichtakesintoaccountthedifferingandsometimescompetingvulnerabilitiesoftheresidentsofEastJerusalem.Thereis still much work to be done to develop a unified aim, approach, and plan to achieveresilience inEJ,and INGOs,NGOs,privatesector,donors,and thegovernmentmustcometogethertodeveloparealplantotransformativeresilience.