The Reality of Al-Quds

Jerusalem

The Israeli occupation aims by all of its material and moral means to control all resources of Al-Quds in order to prevent Al-Quds citizens from their natural right of their land and properties. Therefore, the occupation gathered its efforts to paralyze all sectors that manifest the cultural authenticity of Al-Quds citizens, using all the material and legal capabilities to reach this purpose. Simultaneously to this wrongful plan, the occupation bets on the coldness of national affection toward Al-Quds, erasing the collective memory of the community through exhausting people with loads of daily firm laws and procedures, consistent Judaization plans that aim to steal the religious and historical specificity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, trying to share this holy site with the Muslims of Al-Quds through the gradual spatial and temporal reduction of the holy mosque. The occupation depends on faking facts of the cognitive or archeological formation of ancient myths, and through gradual evacuation of Al-Aqsa Mosque from worshipers by imposing intense legal constrains and preoccupy Al-Quds citizens with daily constrains so they neglect their duty toward protecting Al-Aqsa Mosque. Taking into account the deterioration of all life sectors in Al-Quds such as, the social, economic, educational, medical, and holy sites sectors. Moreover, the hard legal constraints imposed upon Al-Quds citizens had increased poverty and unemployment rates, making it hard to attain jobs for Al-Quds citizens. In addition to the high number of families that lost their provider, which resulted in a dangerous social environment thrived with troubles, also the high expenditure of marriage. All of the mentioned above indicates that it is our duty to try to mitigate the dangers of this hard situation.

Custodianship over holy sites and Al-Aqsa Mosque

Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered the bet that the occupation forces is trying hardly to win and control through systematic Judaization plans wether by daily storming into the holy mosque or temporal and spatial division plans. There are 23 Jewish groups in Al-Quds that work actively to implement their Judaization plans. Taking into account the systematic restrictions and forceful persecution and exclusion of worshipers and preventing religious and cultural activities in Al-Aqsa yards. Moreover, building synagogues and settlements have multiplied reaching 43 settlements, the excavations beneath Al-Aqsa Mosque reaching 104 excavations of which 22 are active diggings, four around the holy mosque, five under the Silwan neighborhood, another five are going under the old town, 57 excavations and tunnels under Al-Aqsa Mosque, and eight in various location distributed around the city. These excavations aim to change the authentic identity of Al-Quds endowments in addition to the Muslim and Christian holy sites, which are classified as international heritage that belongs to Al-Quds citizens, which emphasize the Arabic and Islamic identity of the city.

The Educational Sector

The educational sector is considered a strategic sector that preserve the intellectual and cultural security for communities and meets their daily knowledge requirement. Therefore, the Israeli occupation aims by all of its material and moral means to control all resources of Al-Quds in order to prevent Al-Quds citizens from attaining an independent educational system that preserve the identity of its citizens and guarantees their belonging to an Arabic and Islamic surrounding. As a result, the occupation have seized and occupied the Arabic schools, controlling over 60% of Al-Quds schools. Meanwhile, the endowment schools, UNRWA schools, and privet schools suffer from extreme financial deficiency and weak infrastructure whereas 38% of the schools occupy rented buildings and in an urgent need to additional classrooms, the deficit of classrooms is estimated to be 2548 classrooms. Therefore, these schools face constants threats of closing or weakening or joining the occupation Israeli pedagogy in an exchange of conditional financial support, which in return will erase the collective memory of the students and disattach them from their Arabic and Islamic community.

The Economic Sector

The economic situation in Al-Quds reflects the suffering of Al-Quds citizens in light of the occupation policy that deteriorate the situation day after day and reduce the opportunities of job attainment. In addition to the systematic economic constraints imposed upon Al-Quds citizens, which in return affect the daily interaction of people with their fundamental and fateful causes. Taking into consideration that the city is linked directly to the Israeli labor market which became the main income source of Al-Quds citizens by 45.2%, resulting in increasing the livelihood expenditure in the city resembling the livelihood expenditure in the Israeli country more than the expenditure of the west bank. The average individual income in Al-Quds city is 1300 USD$ which is less than half the living expenditure in the city, noting the tremendous number of taxes imposed upon people. Therefore, resulting in high rate of poverty reaching 80% in the western neighborhoods, and 85% is poverty rate among children, noting that 89% of families depends on one income resource.

The social Sector

The social condition of Al-Quds weather positively or negatively reflects directly on all life sectors. The impact of the social sectors can be monitored through people impulse to preserve their holy sites and daily interaction with the dangers that threats Al-Aqsa Mosque. Taking into account high poverty rates which reached 80% among Arabs in 2019, 86% is poverty rate among children and 75% is poverty rate among Al-Quds families. On the other hand, unemployment rate is 31% in general, where it reaches 40% among youth. Considering the deterioration of the social situation such as orphans, displaced families, and enormous number of persecutions and detentions of children and youth. In addition to the high number of families who lost their family provider "the father", and the daily constrains imposed upon Al-Quds citizens in all sectors. As a result the social confrontation structure of the society is falling apart, because people are preoccupied with their daily affairs and endeavor to provide their families. Therefore, these hard living conditions make surrender and relinquishment of the right to live in the city or abandoning the Arabic and Islamic identity and properties more seductive that the individual cannot undertake alone if a proper support is not provided in order to alleviate the sufferings of Al-Quds people.

The Medical Sector

Just like all life sectors in Al-Quds the medical sector suffers from the occupation constrains that aims to weaken Al-Quds citizens and controlling all their material and moral resources. Since 1996, the occupation was seeking to hold control over the medical reference of Al-Quds and convert it to Israeli medical facilities through forcing Al-Quds citizens register in the "National Israeli Insurance". The hospitals in Al-Quds are under the threat of closing due to their inability to pay their financial dues and blocking of foreign aids. There are six medical institutions in Al-Quds that provide medical services for 150.000 patients from Al-Quds and the surrounded areas. Moreover, the medical condition of children is deteriorating due to the absence of medical awareness, poor nutrition, increasing number of families who lost their provider (father), which retrospectively affected the health of all divisions of society (mother, children, youth). Taking into consideration that good health does not only mean being not sick, rather it manifests in the improvement of living situation in general, which affect the psychology of Al-Quds citizens. Living under occupation is causing daily suffering in all life, medical, social, and educational sectors.