JERUSALEM : THE LOST CITY

If one studies the al Quds situation- which is the Holy City – many things could be understood regarding the general situation in Arab countries . Many say the city is not only a Palestinian responsibility but is also Arab and Muslim ,it concerns all . The western part of the Holy City has been occupied since 1948 , the Eastern part was occupied in 1967; now it is all under occupation and is subject to Judification . The Palestinians own 13% of the land only and even practically half of this portion since there are territories owned by what they call absentees or Palestinians who have fled the Holy City and took refuge in the West Bank after the Holy City was occupied .

The Orthodox Church- represented by its Greek priests- have leaked number of territories to the Israelis that were considered Church properties among them the piece of land on which the actual Knesset is built. Plans are there also to build a military base and a military school in the Holy City that have been suspended for the time being .

Life has become very hard for Palestinians in al Quds , Between 70 and 80% of the Arab population – that amounts to more than 200 thousands- lives under poverty line and the high taxes prevent any kind of business from prospering . Palestinians are being evicted from their houses and 1124 houses have been already destroyed by Israelis leaving thus five thousand people without homes and the Palestinians are destroying their homes with their own hands in order to be spared the high fee of demolition imposed by Israelis .

While Palestinian homes are being destroyed , Zionist settlements are flourishing with 1500 settlement unities to be built in East Jerusalem .These hard conditions push many Palestinians to leave . The Christian community has mostly emigrated and Christians form now only about 1.4% of the population .The Holy City is practically suffocating , and the scheme is to take the whole of it bit by bit as planned by Olmert who occupied the position of Mayor previously .

Religiously ,there are plans to build synagogues all around the Aqsa among them the biggest synagogue that was ever built in occupied Palestine . This will not prevent the settlers from claiming a share in the al Aqsa Mosque -as well- and enjoy access to the Holy shrine protected by the army where they can break in any time or gather in order hold lectures or to throw parties at certain hours of the day .

There is no Palestinian or Arab or Muslim plan whatsoever to counterpart these measures and the reason is that the Oslo agreement- concluded in year 1994 – between the Palestinian Authority and the usurpers defers the issue of Jerusalem and that of the Palestinian refugees and their right to return to the end of the negotiations that has not even been set yet . This left the Israeli occupier free to improvise and gave him enough time to escalate the situation seeking to take hold of the whole city.

Now that negotiations have started again between the Palestinian Authority and the occupiers , Jerusalem is not on the schedule again and will not be part of these future negotiations sponsored by the US and that will last for nine months . What is on the schedule is the land exchange deal approved by the Arab League through the Arab ministers of Foreign Affairs and promoted by the NGO Israeli movement” Peace Now”, and does not mention al Quds. The Israeli officials have been all the way stressing the fact that Jerusalem is NOT negotiable .

The greatest of dangers threatening the Palestinians from Al Quds comes from education where schools are becoming under Israeli control with 5 local schools starting this year applying the Israeli program where the Israeli curriculum will be taught and where Nakba Day- that marks the beginning of the Palestinian plight – will be celebrated as Independence Day .

This deplorable state of things is very unlikely to change right now and Palestinians are not even allowed to demonstrate in protest of this situation or to start a new Intifada which will put things back on their right track . The Palestinian Authority will take care of any protest and will cooperate with Israeli security in chasing demonstrators and arresting them and keeping them prisoners . Arabs also are not contributing to saving the Holy City . The money consecrated to the Holy City is not reaching Palestinians . All kinds of Arab Aid coming from Arab countries or from the Arab League or the GCC either does not materialize or ends up in the Palestinian Authority hands and everyone knows what this means .

Information and numbers from Sami Kleib al Mayadeen TV