Israel Moves to Drive Arabs Away From Al-Quds

By Mohammad Yassin, IOL Correspondent

GAZA, September 16 (IslamOnline.net) – Palestinian experts warn against Israeli plans to drive Palestinian citizens away from occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem) under pretexts of development, saying the Jewish state’s real motive is striking a demographic balance between in the overwhelmingly Palestinian city.

Al-Quds Municipality has showed Monday, September 13, new plans for the structural map of occupied Jerusalem, explaining population density in the old city which affects the living standard and welfare inside the city, as per the Municipality.

In a report published by Israeli daily Ha’aretz Monday, it suggested decreasing that density as regards “all alleys”, except for what is known as “Jewish Alley”, claiming the Alley had already been developed recently and needed no evacuation of some inhabitants.

The Municipality further said it was ready to “compensate those willing to leave their homes with alternative houses outside the Old City.

“Plans to evacuate the Palestinians living in the Old City lies within the demographic struggle after large numbers of Palestinians moved into the Old City as a result of the construction of the self-styled Israeli separation wall two years ago," Khalil Tafkaji, a Palestinian expert for settlement affairs told IslamOnline.net Wednesday, September 15.

Tafkaji said the return of some Palestinians to their homes the Old City would lead the Palestinians to outnumber the Israeli settlers living in the city.

“The return of Palestinians and restoring their old homes after they were forced to leave them in 1967 means that the number of Palestinians in the city would increase.”

The Palestinian expert mocked at the Israeli proposals to offer financial compensations and new houses for the Palestinians who leave the city.

“There are no available lands for construction out of the Old City as a result of the Israeli confiscation of 35% of Al-Quds lands since the 1967 war.”

Tafkaji said the Israeli governments had been adopting a constant policy to evacuate the Palestinian citizens from occupied Al-Quds since 1973.

“Struggle in the Old City is raging on even very small batches of lands as the case with Al-Aqsa mosque.”

According to Israeli estimates, there are 24,098 Muslims living in the Old City, contrary to 2,408 Armenian Christians, 5,269 Christians in the Christian Alley and 2,328 Jews in the Jews Alley.

Golden Opportunity

Dr. Ekrema Sabri, the mufti of Al-Quds, for his part, warned the Israeli schemes only aim at grabbing lands of Palestinian citizens in the occupied Al-Quds.

“As the Jews immigrate into the city, Palestinians are forced out of the city, with the aim of affecting the demographic balance in favor of the Israelis.”

Sabri said the current developments on the world arena provide the Jewish state with a golden opportunity to carry out its plans.

“Israel believes that world developments give it a chance to implement its aggressive schemes.”

Sabri maintained the Palestinians living in the city fight the Israeli temptations to leave their homes, calling on the Palestinian Authority to support the civil and humanitarian institutions in the city.

“If these institutions are supported, they can provide the Palestinian citizens with all necessary services, and therefore they can stick to their homes.”

Al-Aqsa institution for Islamic sites preservation in the occupied Palestinian lands, meanwhile, called on the Palestinian citizens to support their peers in Al-Quds.

“This scheme clearly reveals the Israeli attempts to control Al-Aqsa mosque and enhancing Jewish immigration into the city,” it said in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by IslamOnline.net.

The leading figure of Neturei Karta, an organization within the Orthodox Jewish community which represents hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Jews around the world, said: "We are in total opposition to the Zionists' views of the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is clearly forbidden according to the Torah and the rabbinical authorities."