Jerusalem Recruits UAE Investment for East Jerusalem Tech Park

The Jerusalem Municipality is recruiting companies from the United Arab Emirates to invest in Silicon Wadi, a proposed high-tech industrial park in occupied East Jerusalem. First announced in January by Mayor Moshe Lion, the project is estimated to cost 2.1 billion shekels ($600 million) and would cover 350,000 square meters dedicated to high-tech firms, commerce, and hotels.

Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is promoting the development as a means to create 10,000 jobs and transform the city into a regional high-tech center. The project would replace the existing Wadi al-Joz industrial area.

Palestinian officials and experts have condemned the initiative, characterizing it as a settlement effort intended to erase the Arab identity of Jerusalem and unify the city's east and west sectors. Hatem Abdel-Kader, a former minister for Jerusalem affairs in the Palestinian Authority, warned that the project is dangerous despite Israeli claims of benefits for Palestinians. Some analysts note that official building schemes and land expropriations have not yet been formally launched.