In September 1997, plans for the construction of a Jewish neighbourhood on the land provoked an international outcry and large Palestinian protests, including in Beit Sahour.[8] Despite American pressure to halt construction, the plan was backed by Jerusalem mayor Ehud Olmert.[9] Under a compromise reached by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, three Jewish families left voluntarily, with ten yeshiva students staying on.[10] On October 18, 2009, the Israeli bus cooperative Egged launched a bus route from Ras al-Amud and Ma'ale HaZeitim to Silwan and the Kotel. Critics claimed this was an attempt to "normalize" the Jewish presence.[11]
In 2011, 100 families were living Ma'ale HaZeitim.[12]
The international community considers Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem to be illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.[13]
Archaeology
An archaeological excavation in Ras al-Amud prior to the construction of a school for Arab girls by the Jerusalem Municipality found remains dating to the Middle Canaanite period (2200–1900 BCE) and the late First Temple period (8th–7th centuries BCE), including a jar handle inscribed with the Hebrew name "Menachem."[14]
In August 2004, a salvage excavation was conducted in the Ras al-Amud neighborhood in the wake of damage to an ancient building while preparing a site for construction. Ceramic finds dating to the Byzantine period included bowls, a cooking pot and a complete lamp. Glass vessels from the Late Byzantine–Umayyad period were also found. Fragments of ceramic pipes, a marble chancel screen and a stone table were recovered from the stone collapse and soil fills. The building is thus believed to have belonged to a Byzantine monastery.[15]