ISRAEL INTENSIFIES JUDAIZATION POLICY IN AL QUDS
Al-Quds, 12 Rabi’ul Awwal 1435/14 January 2014 (MINA) – Director of the Islamic Waqf Council, Sheikh Abdel Azim Salhab, said that Israeli Occupation Authority (IOA) has intensified Judaization policy in occupied Jerusalem through escalating deportation and demolition campaigns and protecting settlers’ break-ins into al-Aqsa Mosque.
He pointed to the IOA attempts to obstruct restoration works carried out by the Waqf and Islamic Affairs Council and the Committee for the reconstruction of the Aqsa Mosque, in addition to installation of surveillance cameras inside al-Aqsa Mosque with the aim of monitoring Palestinian worshippers, Palestine Information Center (PIP) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, Sheikh Salhab charged that the IOA is working to isolate Jerusalem from its Palestinian hinterland as a prelude to Judaize it.
He stressed that al-Aqsa Mosque with its courtyards, walls, domes, and chapels both above and below the ground belongs to Muslims only and no one but them has a right in it.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is part of the doctrine of one billion Muslims, he said.
Sheikh Salhab called on the IOA to put an end to its violations against al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinian worshipers, and to remove surveillance cameras from the Mosque, and re-open the Mughrabi Gate and Tankaziyya School.
Judaization of Jerusalem is the process of creating a Jerusalem with a predominant Jewish character. Main ways to Judaize Jerusalem are securing a highest possible Jewish majority and the change of the physical character of the city by transforming elements of it from Arab into Jewish. Israel has allegedly sought to Judaize Jerusalem since its inception in 1948. Both Dore Gold and Aryeh King are reported to have pressed for the Judaisation of the city.
In the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Israel conquered West Jerusalem. On 2 August 1948, it imposed Israeli law on the occupied city. Expelled Palestinians were not allowed to return and Jewish immigrants took possession of their homes.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, along with the rest of the West Bank, during the Six-Day War in 1967. It expanded East Jerusalem’s borders to include large parts of the West Bank and merged it into West Jerusalem. Israeli law was imposed on the inhabitants. Expelled Palestinians were not allowed to return and Jewish immigrants occupied the homes left by the refugees. Palestinians who had remained in East Jerusalem until then were offered Israeli citizenship. Those who refused citizenship were given permanent residency status.
The Israeli Government has sought to increase the Jewish population by establishing virtually Jewish settlements in and around Jerusalem. Redrawing Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries has incorporated illegal settlements. In peace negotiations, Israel has consistently demanded their legalisation and proposed Israeli annexation of settlements outside Jerusalem and include them in the municipality.
In a speech on 8 November 2000, Prime Minister Ehud Barak said:”Maintaining our sovereignty over Jerusalem and boosting its Jewish majority have been our chief aims, and toward this end Israel constructed large Jewish neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city, which house 180,000 residents, and large settlements on the periphery of Jerusalem, like the city of Ma’ale Adumim and Giv’at Ze’ev. The principle that guided me in the negotiations at Camp David was to preserve the unity of Jerusalem and to strengthen its Jewish majority for generations to come.(T / P02/P04/mirajnews.com )
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency ( MINA )
