Jerusalem again the Crucible in New Settlement Threats and Jewish Insults to Al-Aqsa
By: John Mason / Arab America Contributing Writer
An Israeli plan that links Jewish settlements to Jerusalem more securely is the subject of this report. It also covers Jewish incursions into the Dome of the Rock. These aim at reinforcing their assertions of a greater presence across Jerusalem.
Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat in 1994 signed an accord. It was an accord for Palestinian self-rule. Of course, that was abandoned long ago. However, now, Israel wants to unfreeze the so-called West Bank E1 Plan. Plan E1 dates to that early moment in 1994. Unfreezing it would allow for the construction of 3,412 new homes in the corridor linking the West Bank to Jerusalem. Hearings for these new settler homes have resumed in the parliament.
Israel plans to snap up more Palestinian land for settler homes
Yet, unfreezing that plan would face political constraints. It would become a test of the present parliamentary coalition with Arab parties. In short, hearings on new settler homes comprise a survival test of Israel’s present, shared government. The alternative could be a return to Netanyahu.
The U.S. government objected to the settler project in 1994 and continues to do so today. That housing project is in a settlement city called Ma’aleh Adumim, right near Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Post reported, “The Right believes that the continued expansion of that West Bank Jewish city is important to safeguard a united Jerusalem.” Furthermore, that settlement sees the new settler homes as a lifeline for its city.
Tying that city to Jerusalem could have severe consequences. It might damage the feasibility for a future Palestinian state. Both the U.S. and the European Union have objected to the project. Besides, the U.S. Ambassador averred, “It is a very important area which if [built] could cut off any possibility of a capital for the Palestinians.” The case is now in the High Court of Justice, awaiting a decision.
Right-wing Jews make celebratory incursions into Dome of the Rock
Right-wing Jews recently celebrated Israel’s capture of Jerusalem in 1967. They did so by parading onto the Dome of the Rock. That space is also called The Temple Mount by Jews. Palestinian factions had warned officials that the Jews’ visit to the Al-Aqsa compound could spark conflict. Indeed, their march resulted in Israeli police fighting Palestinians.
On Sunday May 29, according to Reuters, “Tens of thousands of flag-waving Israeli nationalists, some chanting “Death to Arabs”, marched through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday, defying threats of retaliation from Palestinian militants.”
The annual parade has become “a show of strength for Jewish nationalists. They parade to show their influence in a city which has a large Palestinian population.” Marchers recited crude anti-Arab slogans. Moreover, at least 2,600 Jews toured the Al-Aqsa compound before the march. Some wore religious dress, chanted religious songs, and prayed. In so doing, they violated longstanding agreements on comportment on the Dome of the Rock.
Given that violation, the expected occurred. “Looking to halt the visits, Palestinians hurled stones and set off fireworks, before being pushed back by police firing stun grenades.” A Muslim preacher said, “What happened today in Al-Aqsa mosque hadn’t taken place since 1967.”
Reuters reported further that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the vast majority of marchers had come to celebrate. “Unfortunately, there is a minority that has come to set the area ablaze … trying to use force in order to ignite a conflict,” he said in a statement.
The history of Jerusalem is complex. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as “its eternal and indivisible capital.” But Palestinians see the eastern quarter as the capital of their future state. The militant group Hamas views all modern-day Israel as occupied.
Both the Israeli plan for 3,412 new homes and the Jewish march on the Dome of the Rock are part of a broader campaign. They are intended to boost Jewish assertions of a greater presence across Jerusalem. This is despite legitimate claims by all three Abrahamic faiths. Their claim is that they all share in the rich religious and spiritual significance of this glorious city. However, one of the claims seems to have preeminence over the others.
Sources
“Israel unfreezes West Bank E1 plan, hearings for settler homes resume,” Jerusalem Post, 6/1/2022
“Israel’s government faces survival test with settlement bill,” Al-Monitor, 6/03/2022
“Flag-waving Israelis take to streets, skirmishes erupt in Al-Aqsa mosque,” Reuters 5/29/2002
John Mason, PhD., who focuses on Arab culture, society, and history, is the author of LEFT-HANDED IN AN ISLAMIC WORLD: An Anthropologist’s Journey into the Middle East, New Academia Publishing, 2017. He has taught at the University of Libya, Benghazi, Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and the American University in Cairo; John served with the United Nations in Tripoli, Libya, and consulted extensively on socioeconomic and political development for USAID and the World Bank in 65 countries.
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