"Israeli" Rights Group: Holy City Children in Dire Poverty

Local Editor

A survey by an "Israeli" rights group shows that three out of four Palestinian children in Al Quds (East Jerusalem) live below the poverty line.

"The figures show Jerusalem continues to be the poorest city in "Israel"," said "Israel" Kimhi, of the Jerusalem Institute of "Israel" Studies on Monday. "Efforts to turn this around have so far failed."

In all, nearly two-thirds of Palestinian families live in poverty, compared to nearly one third of Jewish families, according to the report, titled "Human Rights in East Al Quds (Jerusalem) Fact and Figures 2010."

Some 95,000 East Al Quds (Jerusalem) minors (around 74 percent) live below the poverty line, compared to about 45 percent of minors in Jewish neighborhoods, the ACRI report says.
 
Al Quds (Jerusalem) is the largest city in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, with 774,000 residents living in it. The residents are 63 percent Jews, 34 percent Muslims, 2 percent Christians and 1 percent are not classified by religion in the Interior Ministry.

Last year Al Quds's population increased by some 14,000, mainly due to the city's high natural growth rate. However, the city's population diminished by 7,100 people during 2009, compared to 4,900 in 2008.