Impact of the geopolitical factors on palestinian settlements pattern and their communication by using geographic information system (gis): Jerusalem district case study

Human settlements provide a special focus for most human activity, and therefore also strongly impact on the local land cover, water quality, and biodiversity. Set-up a development strategy and providing policy-relevant guidance therefore requires a detailed and accurate evidence base documenting the spatial distribution of populations, settlements and their inter-connectivity. Location of human settlements is determined by local amenities, economic factors, and communications. Political transformations and instability conditions are among the most important factors affecting social, economic, and environmental aspects of the world, especially in the countries and regions which witnessed wars and political problems.The Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) have witnessed many political transformations and events since the occupation by the Israeli Army of the Palestinian Land in 1967. Analyzing the spatial patterns of settlements can contribute to greater understanding of land use changes, ecological processes, and cultures. The impact of the Geopolitical factor on the human settlement pattern and their communication received little attention. Therefore, this study aims to explore the distribution of Palestinian settlements and their communication in Jerusalem district under the political crisis such the popular uprising. This study adapted quantitative methods that including descriptive and cartographic approaches in the Geographic Information System (GIS) environment for addressing the primary and secondary data. Geovisualization and geoprocessing process, especially, map overlapping analysis between different thematic maps to present distribution of human settlements and the geopolitical factors. Geopolitical factors which including Israeli settlements, segregation wall, and military checkpoints impacted negatively on Palestinian settlements and their inter-connectivity in Jerusalem District under the political crisis such the popular uprising. These factors led to convert the Palestinian communities into islands in the Israeli colony ocean in Jerusalem district and isolate the Palestinian communities from each to other especially, under the political crisis. This effort will contribute in the urban planning, scientific field and the body of knowledge, especially, in the association between urban planning and political science fields. Palestinian need to transition from reaction status into the action status and play more significant role in the game by preparing an alternative plan and scenarios to meet the Israeli process in general and especially under political crisis and future popular uprisings Therefore, Palestinian policy makers, urban and regional planners, and researchers need to pay more planning and research efforts to help the Palestinian communities meet their needs under the political crisis and wars.