Since 1997, the Zionist regime has earmarked or remarkable budget of billions shakels for running the Islamic identity of Bait-ul-Moqaddas. This money is to be spent on the construction of several huge buildings to be used for transferring of Zionist regime’s ministries and police stations to the east site of Bait-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem). Expansion of the Zionist regime’s bus line and public transportation stations in this city. Expansion of Zionist townships in the suburbs of Bait-ul-Moqaddas and demolishing Palestinian Muslim’s homes.
The Zionist regime’s effort for zionisting Bait-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) is not a new phenomenon, the occupiers of Qod have been trying to abolish all the Islamic and even Christian monuments and landmarks of this ancient city, Holy city since 1967 when they took over Bait-ul-Moqaddas during the past four decades, thought, have been their various conspiracies for demolishing of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The mosques in Bait-Ul-Moqaddas, the holy mosque of Al-Aqsa in particular, have always been a pain in the neck of the occupying Zionists as they have served as undefeatable strongholds of Muslims who have never yielded to the expansionism and hooliganism of the occupiers.
The Zionists are well aware that the world does not recognize their sole hegemony over all of Bait-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem). It now seems the Zionist are making all side investment in this city in order to shift the levers of their political, social and cultural activities to a city which has, along the course of history, been the centre of Muslim resistance and uprising against occupiers.
Bait-ul-Moqaddas and the holy Qods have served as the toughest strongholds of the Palestinian Islamic movement during the past decades and God willing will always remain an invincible fortress.
Shame on regimes that obediently prostrate toward the fake Zionist Ka’aba who are using all their efforts to abolish the Islamic and Christian identity of Bait-ul-Moqaddas(Jerusalem) and attempting to zionise it.
These regimes are investing their own pride and identity only to please American and Zionist Masters.
All Islamic and every Muslim country should always be on full alert and react against the conspiracies of the Zionist and traitorous politicians in the Arab Middle East who pave the way for such Zionist move with their indifference and passive obedience from the wounded body of the Islamic world.
ZIONIST EXPASIONIST POLICY IN BAIT-UL-MOQADDAS
Since the annexation of East Bait-ul-Moqaddas in 1967, the Israeli government has adopted a policy of systematic and deliberate discrimination against the Palestinian population in Bait-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) in all matters relating to land expropriation, planning and building.
An examination of municipal documents and statement made by city policy makers indicate that Bait-ul-Moqaddas’ urban development is based first and foremost on National Political considerations and only one central goal has dictated Municipal planning policy to create a demographic and geographic reality that will preempt any future effort to challenge Zionist sovereignty in East Bait-Ul-Moqaddas.
The Zionist authorities promote extensive building for Jewish neighborhoods at an enormous investment in the annexed areas. The Israeli authorities choke development and building for Palestinian population, who are perceived as “demographic threat” to Israeli control of the city.
JEWISH SETTLEMENT AFTER 1967
Arab Palestinians before 1917 when Palestine was under the colonization of Great Britain, possessed more than 90 percent of lands in Bait-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) while the Jewish land ownership didn’t surpass the lowest of Margins.
According to Paragraph B of Article Five of a Cease-Fire agreement signed between Jordan and the Zionist regime in March 3, 1949, the border points were determined exactly as stipulated by the two sides on November 20, 1948. Following this demarcation, Qods divided into two parts:
1.East Arabic Qods which had an area of 2,220 hectares.
2. West Qods occupied by Israel, with an area about 16,261. Another enclave area of 850 hectare was stipulated between the two sections supervised by the United Nations.
After the Arab-Israeli war in 1967, the Zionist regime occupied Bait-ul-Moqaddas and the surrounding area as this city expanded to 108,000 hectare. Then with further expansion and with the annexation of regions from the West Bank, the land area of this city reached 123,000 hectares in 1994.
The Zionist regime, after the occupation of the West Bank, in 1965 initiated the building of Jewish settlement programs in Qods and immediately began to demolish the Andolodo Gate. The land expropriation policy in East Bait-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) has over the years been pursued exclusively for the benefit of Jewish population. Meanwhile, the housing shortage and the basic urban needs of the city’s Palestinian populations have been ignored. The expropriations have significantly reduced the amount of land held by Palestinians in the city has increased. On the expropriated lands in East Bait-ul-Moqaddas more than 50,000 housing units have been built for the Jews, but not one housing unit was for the Muslims Palestinians.
On June 29, 1967, the Zionist regime dissolved the Municipality council of Bait-ul-Moqaddas and expelled the head of the council along with all the members and the courts of this city were compelled to join the courts of Israel.
All Arab countries protested the Israeli measures and brought the issue to the United Nations. Following this position taken by the Arabs, on July 4, 1967, Resolution 2253 was issued by the U.N. In this resolution the Israeli regime was prohibited from exerting expansionist policy which may alter the setup of Qods. As the Zionist regime did not pay any attention to this resolution, again ten days later, Resolution 2254 called for observing the some measures by Israel, but to no avail.
On September 13, 1967 Arab community suggested to the UN to issue Resolution 2355 on Qods identity not to be converted. But the Zionist regime pressed ahead with it’s expansionist policy and razed the properties of four Palestinian districts with more 595 residential apartments, 437 trade centers, three mosques, two schools as well as 720 housing units belonging to native Palestinians.
The regime occupying Qods following it’s expansionist policies, resumed building Jewish settlement beyond the old walls of the city and from 1968 the area of Jarah, Al Samar, Al-Just valley and by constructing Jewish townships encircled Qods.
Despite several United Nations resolution, UNESCO denunciation, human right, group objection, Arab World’s strong protest and International Organisations condemnation, the regime occupying Qods still pushed forward with it’s expansionist policy. On July 30, 1980 knest ratified an article declaring Qods as indisputable capital of Israel. On July 8, 1981, the Menachem Begin government annexed Qods and subsequently the offices of some ministries were transferred to this city.
EXPULSION AND CONFISCATION
The Zionist regime from the outset of the occupation of Qods, has made endless efforts to convert the setup of this city which is regarded as the third holy site of Islam. Some of the Zionist expansionist policies include:
1. Annihilation of Muslim Palestinian housing units.
2. Political embargo of Qods
3. Reducing the area for building residential areas for Palestinian in East-Bait-ul-Moqaddas
4. Imposing excessive taxes which is no proportion with the service presented
5. Not to grant permission for buildings of more than two stories for Palestinians
6. Granting permission to Jews to have properties in East Bait-ul-Moqaddas, while the Palestinians are totally forbidden from this advantage in West Qods.
7. Confiscation of Palestinian lands through different means including:
(a) Occupation and confiscation of land under the pretext of using them for public welfare which the Zionist regime, by employing this deception has expropriated 35 percent of Bait-ul-Moqaddas area. (b) Indirect Confiscation: The Zionist regime uses initial maps provided for the development of cities and villages for future expropriation of Palestinian land applies systematic methods for achieving it’s vicious objectives. According to these maps, Palestinians have no right to build housing unit in area specified in green color.
From January 1967 up to February 1995, the Israeli regime has built 65,540 housing units for Zionists of which some 38,500 dwellings have been situated in East Bait-ul-Moqaddas. At the sametime, despite the fact that the Palestinian population has doubled, during this period only 8,000 housing construction permissions were granted for Palestinians.
Israeli authorities create restrictions for Palestinians population residing in Bait-ul-Moqaddas which include:
(1) Banning Palestinian from constructing housing units in Jewish settlement areas.
(2) Reducing infrastructure facilities for Palestinian residential area. To cite an example, the housing units in East Bait-ul-Moqaddas are deprived of drinking water, electricity and roads.
(3) Destructing housings built without permission.
Another example is the so-called 200B Plan which was presented in 1983 by the Palestinians for the construction of 18,000 housing units in East Bait-ul-Moqaddas.
This plan which was the only plan introduced by the Arabs faced the opposition of Israeli Ministry of Urban Housing and was reduced to 7,500 housing unit. Now, after many years of up and downs in Zionist bureauctic commissions, the Mayor of Bait-ul-Moqaddas say the area has been situated in the regions marked green, by applying this policy, the Zionist regime could capture up to 40 percent of Bait-ul-Moqaddas area.
By resorting to different ploys such as construction of roads and streets another 6 percent of Qod’s lands have been taken by the Zionists. In 1997, 79 percent of Qods is under the occupation of Zionist and the remaining 21 percent belongs to the Palestinians.
If the Palestinians do not move ahead to build up houses, wall, stadium or anything else, those lands will face the same destiny as the rest as Zionists have covetous eye on their land.
In 1997, about 115,000 Palestinians are living in 10 percent of housing unit in Bait-ul-Moqaddas(Jerusalem), while 166 Israelis reside in 79 percent of the city’s residential quarters.
Baba Ali Mustapha is with the Department of Planning and Research, Ministry of Environment, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
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