Visitors wait to enter and visit the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, earlier this month. Reuters
Visitors wait to enter and visit the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, earlier this month. Reuters
Visitors wait to enter and visit the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, earlier this month. Reuters
Visitors wait to enter and visit the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, earlier this month. Reuters


The struggle for Jerusalem isn't just about religion


  • English
  • Arabic

January 19, 2023

At its core, the struggle over the future of Jerusalem isn’t only about religion. Though it may sound sacrilegious to some, the core issue extends beyond historical claims to holy sites or who gets to pray where and when. It’s also about power. Specifically, it’s about Israel’s objective to flaunt its power, while Palestinians make a last-ditch effort to salvage some shred of control over their lives.

This power struggle can be viewed through many lenses, but nowhere is it more clearly visible than in the tale of two Palestinian cities – East Jerusalem and Hebron – and the connections that bind their fate.

In 1994, after Baruch Goldstein, an extremist Israeli settler, massacred 29 Palestinian worshippers in Hebron’s Al Ibrahimi Mosque, the Israelis imposed several repressive measures that particularly affected Hebron and Jerusalem. The Israelis claimed that they implemented these measures in order to pre-empt any Palestinian retaliation for the massacre. And so, while an Israeli committed the crime, it was the Palestinians who paid the price.

In Hebron, Palestinians living in close proximity to the few hundred Israeli settlers who had illegally occupied buildings on Shuhada Street were evicted from their homes. Additionally, the Israeli military deployed more than a thousand well-armed soldiers and closed off major streets effectively shutting down the souq.

Where thousands of Hebronites once strolled and shopped, now there were empty streets and closed shops with graffiti covering the walls of Arab shops: Hebrew slogans reading "Death to the Arabs” and “Goldstein is our hero".

A moment from a protest marking the 28th anniversary of the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, in Hebron, last year. Baruch Goldstein, a member of the far-right Israeli movement, killed 29 people in a shooting spree at Al Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in 1994. EPA
A moment from a protest marking the 28th anniversary of the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, in Hebron, last year. Baruch Goldstein, a member of the far-right Israeli movement, killed 29 people in a shooting spree at Al Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in 1994. EPA
The fate of Jerusalem and Hebron are connected for two reasons

The stress and hardship this placed on Hebron was obvious, as was the disruption to the economic and professional well-being of the Palestinians who lived in the neighbouring towns and villages of the Hebron district. To protect the settlers travelling from the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba, the Israeli military established numerous checkpoints and closed side roads. The situation borders on the absurd. Residents from two Palestinian villages could no longer drive the short distance to Hebron to shop and visit with relatives and friends. The route was cut by military blockades at two points, about 50 metres apart. Arabs driving from the villages were forced to park on one side and then walk to the next barricade to secure a taxi into Hebron.

Settler rioting, empty Arab shops, police beatings of Palestinians, the closure of the old city and the destruction of its economy, the daily harassment and pressure – this became daily life.

Equally distressing were the measures the Israelis implemented at Al Ibrahimi Mosque, the scene of the massacre. They took complete control of the building and physically divided it into Jewish and Muslim sections, with almost two-thirds reserved for a Jewish synagogue. While Israelis have relatively free access to the building, Palestinians are forced to wait in humiliating lines and pass through numerous Israeli-controlled checkpoints to enter. To add insult to injury, on dates of religious importance to Judaism, Israelis routinely close the entire mosque and its surroundings to Palestinians. And recently, Israel announced plans to seize land around the mosque to build a lift to provide access for Jewish worshippers.

I say that the fate of Jerusalem and Hebron are connected for two reasons. First, as part of the “protective” measures taken post-Goldstein, Israel instituted the complete closure of East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. This closure was even more complete than the one instituted in Hebron, with profound economic, social, cultural, political, and even psychological consequences for the Palestinian population of East Jerusalem.

The absence of jobs and opportunities for the young Palestinians in Jerusalem has produced both cynicism and despair, as has the closure, which, for all intents and purposes, cut the heart of Palestine away from the rest of its body.

Like their kinfolk in Hebron, as they lost control over their lives and futures, Palestinians in Jerusalem lost hope. And as they witness increasing settlement construction, land confiscations, and home demolitions as part of Israel’s effort to “Judaise” the city, that loss of hope has turned to resentment and resistance.

The one place, indeed the only place, where Palestinians feel any semblance of control is at Haram Al Sharif and Al Aqsa Mosque. And this brings me to the second reason why the fate of the two cities is inextricably linked.

When Palestinians see the increased numbers of heavily guarded Israelis invading the Haram area, the acts of incitement that accompany these “visits", and the declared intent of Israeli extremists to seize control of the area, they feel profoundly threatened. Their reaction is not as Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a senior member of the current Israeli government, claims born of racism or anti-Semitism. Rather, it’s because they fear that what happened to Al Ibrahimi Mosque is what the future holds for Al Aqsa. And this they can’t abide. It is a religious issue to be sure, but, at its core, it’s about their need to protect the last semblance of control they feel they have.

The biog

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Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Family: We all have one!

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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

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AT4 Ultimate, as tested

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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

While you're here
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About Krews

Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Founded: January 2019

Number of employees: 10

Sector: Technology/Social media 

Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support

 

How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia

Three Penalties

v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)

v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)

v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)

Four Corners

v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)

v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)

v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)

v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)

One Free-Kick

v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)

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Results

STAGE

1 . Filippo Ganna (Ineos) - 0:13:56

2. Stefan Bissegger (Education-Nippo) - 0:00:14

3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:21

4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:24

5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) - 0:00:30

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 4:00:05

2. Joao Almeida (QuickStep) - 0:00:05

3. Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) - 0:00:18

4. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:33

5. Adam Yates (Ineos) - 0:00:39

If you go:

 

Getting there:

Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.

 

Getting around:

Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Brief scores:

Manchester City 2

Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'

Crystal Palace 3

Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)

Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)

What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

The Freedom Artist

By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

Updated: January 19, 2023, 5:00 AM`