Arab Bloggers Rally Against the Judaization of Jerusalem
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Jerusalem, Al Quds in Arabic, is a core issue in the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem under the ” Jerusalem Law” was vastly condemned by the UN and its related bodies. UN Security Council resolution 478 (passed in 1980) resulted in the moving of most foreign embassies out of Jerusalem.
Israeli Authorities are criticized for the ongoing policy to promote a Jewish majority and Judaize Jerusalem through evicting Arabs and demolishing their homes in East Jerusalem, claiming they don't have building permits and making it extremely difficult for an Arab residents to get a building permit. According to a World Bank report, the number of recorded building violations between 1996 and 2000 was four and half times higher in Jewish neighborhoods but four times fewer demolition orders were issued in West Jerusalem than in East Jerusalem.
The latest eviction act was met by an outrage from Arab bloggers. Khaled Alsoud from Jordan speaks out [ar] on the situation of Arabs in the city:
20000 ألف مقدسي فقدوا حقهم بالإقامة عبر سحب البطاقات الزرقاء من 6000 رب عائلة و12000منزل مهدد بالهدم من قبل الدولة الصهيونية و جدار الفصل العنصري الذي أخرج 151423 مقدسي خارج إطار مدينة القدس ومنع التواصل بكافة أشكاله مع المقدسيين الذين احتجزوا داخل المدينة، كما في القدس 23 حاجز صهيوني يقطع أوصال المدينة ويعيق \أو يمنع\ أهلها من التواصل فيما بينهم أو مع الآخرين خارج الجدار.
والآن وجهت دولة الاحتلال الصهيوني إنذارات لـ 88 عائلة”1500 مقدسي” بالإخلاء وذلك لهدم بيوتهم بحجة التراخيص، وإنشاء حديقة عامة مكان تلك البيوت وفي أخطر وأوسع عملية تهجير منذ حي المغاربة.
Now, the Zionist occupation state have issued eviction notices to 88 families (1,500 people) to demolish their homes under the premise that they don't have permits in order to establish a park in their place, in what constitutes the broadest and most dangerous eviction since the demolition of the Moroccan Quarter.
syriangavroche gives his analysis of the situation [ar]:
من الواضح أن كل هذه الأمور تجري بغية فرض أمر واقع قبيل أي جلسة مفاوضات مع الجانب الفلسطيني بخصوص القدس, فإفراغ القدس من سكانها العرب شكلاً و مضموناً هو إعادة بناء واقع جديد يمكن فرضه على الجانب الآخر و خصوصاً إن كان جانباً ضعيفاً مثل السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية.
Jafra brings back to memory [ar] the influential Arab literary figures that were assassinated by the Mossad such as Ghassan Kanafani, Wael Zuaiter and Naji Al Ali, emphasizing the importance of knowledge and culture in fighting occupation:
الفكرة و القلم و العلم اهم من الاسوار العالية واهم و بنادق مصوبة و قناص ينتظر و طائرة تبحث عن هدف
She goes on to plead support for the Al Quds Capital of Arab Culture 2009 festivities:
انا الان و هم ايضا في القدس لا يدعونكم لمجزرة و لا لحرب او اعلان ثورة
هو مجرد دعوة لدعم هذا الحدث لجعله يليق بالقدس
This is just an invitation to support this event and make it worthy of Al Quds.
Alghait from Syria asks [ar] Syrian bloggers to create a “Blog for Al Quds Week”:
من بين الضجيج العذب للمدونات السورية أدعو نفسي وإياكم أن نخصص أسبوع للتدوين من أجل القدس كما كان الأول للجولان
أدعو نفسي وإياكم أن نعمل لإخواننا كما عملنا لأنفسنا
ولتكن من المدونات السورية أولاً ..
I ask for all of us to work for our brothers as we did for ourselves.
Let the Syrian blogs lead the way.
14 comments
Jerusalem is the city of David, Israel’s 2nd king-from Bibilcal time period. The home of the Jewish temple.
How can you Judaize what is Jewish?
What I ask of our Moslem and Arab cousins is the following:You have Mecca in Medina…allow us to have Jerusalem. Allow us to have Israel. Why does it bother you so much to us Jews to have a tiny space in the world? If Islam is a religion of peace,start showing it to the world,and to your Jewish cousins.
We can live side by side in peace.
Shalom
For Islam, one of the most significant events took place from Jersalem from which Prophet Muhammad Journeyed to throne of God and met the Prophets of the Tanakh as well as Christ.
Christ according to the Qur’an is the highest manifestation of God.
For Muslims, Jerusalem is of utmost importance not only because of Kind David but all the prophets of the Old Testament, Christ who is the highest manifestation of God according to the Qur’an and his Apostles as well as the Prophet of Islam.
As you perhaps know, initially it was toward Jerusalem that the Muslems faced in the performance of their daily prayers.
In short, Jerusalem belongs to all three Abrahamic faiths: Two billion Christians, 1.5 billion Muslims, and less than a total of 20 million Jews.
It actually belongs to the whole of humanity and should be declared a city-state and administred by Jewish, Christian, and Muslem representatives.
The text was corrected but I failed to save the correction before pasting it. Sorry.
asking Muslims to give up Jerusalem because they have other Muslim holy cities is like asking a mother to abandon a child because she has two others.. I can’t see the logic in this.
“Why does it bother you so much to us Jews to have a tiny space in the world?”
it’s not about being bothered, it’s the manner of killing civilians and burning villages to claim lands that you have no right to. It’s funny how you talk of peace while all Israel does is war.
I don’t think the issue is proprietary. You are absolutely right when you question the judiazation of that which is hebrew. It is unrealistic to assume that a line defines boundaries. To live side by side, it is inevitable that the arab brethren will subsist within the jewish communities and state and jewish brothers and sisters will do the same. I warn those who are of concern that if the border conflict continues to shed blood in the name of the holy, it is there that all participants will find the creator and sink unto their knees in his name.
Love cannot be built upon hate. The situation is breeding damaged children with powerful connections. No matter what language you speak, the math does not lie. Please please PLEASE stop the foolishness before the Americans get involved. Oh mang… too late.
What now?!
Enjoy life, enjoy others enjoying their lives… peace be upon you all, journey with g-d. He will not let you stray.
nice idea
well jerusalem is holy to christianity as well as judaism and islam, all can live in peace there as its only minorities that cause violence and distrust between our great cultures. i do not beilive jerusalem can belong to any stae that is claiming it as the capitial of their jewish, christian, or muslim stae as it would cause and inferiority conflict upon the other two, jersusalem should be its own city state, secular but with a special place given to the three faiths and their holy sites, only through this tri-partisan work can the city be truly open to, and independent from all
god bless u all
it seems many people are liking and agreeing the that a three state solution would cause the least amount of friction and be the quickest and most long lasting peaceful soultion, Israel, Palastine and the free city of jerusalem which as someone as already mentioned would a adminsterd evenly christian, muslim and jewish leaders
we never heard about arabisation of gaza when jews are thrown out of Gaza strip…
this is the problem wherever the jews are they should go…
so now you’re gonna start coming up with fictitious events victimizing the Israelis? this is an absurd statement!
Very good article. You put some very interesting thoughts into it!