Jordan's Abdullah: Israel Trying To Rid Jerusalem Of Arabs

[Purveyor]

The international community should not stand by and watch as Israel attempts to rid Jerusalem of its Arab residents, Jordanian King Abdullah II said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Jerusalem is a red line and the world should not be silent about Israel's attempts to get rid of Jerusalem's Arabs residents, Muslims or Christians," the Dubai daily Khaleej Times quoted the king as saying to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Amman.

Abdullah's comments came a day after the heaviest clashes in months broke out across the city during the orchestrated "day of rage" announced by Hamas, as the militant organization urged Muslims to reach the Temple Mount compound in order to protect it from an Israeli attempt to take it over.

On Tuesday, hundreds of Palestinians in east Jerusalem set tires and garbage bins ablaze and hurled rocks at Israeli riot police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.

The Jordanian monarch reportedly demanded the international community take a firm, swift, direct and effective action to "stop Israel's provocative measures in Jerusalem, that seek to change its identity and threaten holy sites there," he said.

MORE...

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157014.html

[Shaktimaan]

1. This is a touch ironic...

considering that it was Jordan who really ethnically cleansed east Jerusalem while Israel has offered it's residents citizenship.
This is not meant to condone Bibi's policies, it's just a comment on the history of the area and the reality of the situation.

I mean, "stop Israel's provocative measures in Jerusalem, that seek to change its identity and threaten holy sites there," he said.

That's pretty funny. Israel isn't the nation who was tearing down religious sites there, after all. Pays to keep things in perspective.

[MUAD_DIB]

2. Does the Irony change the fact that Israel acts like an apartheid state?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

3. Where ya been, Abdullah?

[proteus_lives]

5. Telling Palestinians they aren't Jordanian citizens.

[LeftishBrit]

4. While I agree on this point, there is some breathtaking hypocrisy in him being the one to say it

given the way that many Palestinians in Jordan have been stripped of citizenship.

No, that doesn't excuse Israel. Yes, I can still notice the hypocrisy.

[shira]

24. what do you agree with? Israel is trying to ethnically cleanse Arabs from J'lem?

[LeftishBrit]

25. No, that Israel should stop creating more settlements

[oberliner]

6. Jordan being the country who tried to rid Jerusalem of Jews

Did a pretty thorough job of it in East Jerusalem during their occupation.

Managed to expel all the Jews from the Jewish Quarter.

[Douglas Carpenter]

7. and how many of the 28,000 Palestinians were left in West Jerusalem

by 1950?:

http://www.palestine-studies.org/enakba/exodus/Krystall,%20The%20De%20Arabization%20of%20West%20Jerusalem.pdf

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:qkOVH4b6XIEJ:www.palestine-studies.org/enakba/exodus/Krystall,%2520The%2520De%2520Arabization%2520of%2520West%2520Jerusalem.pdf+expulsion+of+Palestinians+from+West+Jerusalem+1948&hl=en&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgTJ8fasLJljs3JfMWEvbMEBYbLtPcj-YUheVSmH0m8rsIu0RCtBE0xm8QOhVOeeDYw_ddl_6CXmzF8iR4lzTQxbn6wCleu2pnmsbNz9MZ1ng9AseJzWkju5EhfXiF2Ab69n4kC&sig=AHIEtbTb_CZbmInSRHLcE0YCpjBPeb9Ang

Although, I do agree that the Hashemite Kingdom have been utter hypocrits in may respects.

[Violet_Crumble]

17. And even if true, how does that justify Israel trying to get rid of Arabs?

Or is it yet another attempt to divert attention away from what Israel does?

[oberliner]

18. I urge everyone reading this post not to be diverted from what Israel is doing

That said, it's kind of ironic for the government of Jordan to issue a statement like this considering what they did to the Jewish population of the Old City during their occupation of the Jewish Quarter of East Jerusalem.

[Violet_Crumble]

19. Great, well maybe at some point you'll start talking about what Israel's doing!

Or maybe you could even try answering the question I asked you!

[oberliner]

20. Hold on, I'm still diverted by noting the irony of the Jordanian statement

I'm not sure I will be able to refocus on anything Israel is doing for at least a week!

[Violet_Crumble]

21. Maybe you could find time to read what Douglas has posted and comment on that?

..though that would involve having to be critical of Israe, which is something you appear to have all sorts of difficultly with...

[Ken Burch]

30. You admit you're just filibustering then.

Sad. This kind of tactic is usually beneath you.

[oberliner]

31. Is there some legislation we are supposed to be voting on?

If so, I yield the floor for an immediate vote.

[Eg-ptiangirl]

8. occupied city

When Every one claims he is the owner of something, the only solution is to discuss it legally and avoid religious and emotional words that has nothing to do with the fact that East Jerusalem is an occupied lands and not an Israeli. There is no one building Jewish homes for Jews. There is an Israeli government building Israeli homes in an occupied Palestinian lands. There is simply an occupation in East Jerusalem that wants to remove Palestinians from their homes, preventing other Palestinians from living in one of their cities, preventing them from getting access to it, etc
Changing the facts on the ground(if that could really happen millions of Palestinians are not going any where this time) will never change the legal situation of East Jerusalem as an occupied lands, there is only ONE country that doesn't consider this a fact; Israel, You have the power to force something illegal today, you don't have the power tomorrow.

[proteus_lives]

9. Too bad Egypt doesn't help out it's Arab "brothers"

They're too busying walling off Gaza.

[Alamuti Lotus]

10. I agree, it is too bad that the Mubarak dictatorship is putting US/Israeli interests

above Palestinians. But the old man will be departing shortly, if not already, perhaps the course of apostasy pursued by the stooge Mubarak will be diverted.

[Shaktimaan]

11. I am all for discussing the legal aspect of the situation.

But to do that we have to recognize that EJ is in a different category from the West Bank or Gaza. By that I mean that it isn't technically occupied Palestinian territory. There is no legal precedent to infer that EJ should be automatically considered part of Palestine. Legally speaking, the Palestinians have no greater claim to the area than Israel does. The final arrangement must be determined by negotiations between the two. Anything else will result in merely a de-facto scenario.

Now this doesn't mean that I approve of Israel building there or unilaterally declaring it part of Israel. And it is certainly occupied, just as it was occupied when Jordan was in charge of it.

However unlike Jordan, Israel is not actually removing residents (Palestinians) from their homes there or preventing them from having access to it. It bears mentioning that Palestinians living in EJ do have the option of applying for Israeli citizenship if they choose.

Changing the facts on the ground(if that could really happen millions of Palestinians are not going any where this time) will never change the legal situation of East Jerusalem as an occupied lands

I find this statement of yours interesting, considering that it is exactly that, (changing facts on the ground) which has led you to consider EJ as a de-jure Palestinian territory.

[Douglas Carpenter]

14. actually most Palestinians are never allowed to visit Arab East Jerusalem even if they live only

minutes away. And it is is no secret that large numbers of East Jerusalem Palestinian have in fact been removed from their homes - usually on the pretext of highly questionable land claims that predate 1948. This is a privilege that Palestinians are not permitted to invoke. Also, building permits are almost always denied East Jerusalem Palestinians.

Also all 15 judges on the International Court of Justice case of July 9, 2004 regarding the Wall were absolutely clear that East Jerusalem is included in the defintion of Occupied Palestinian Territory. http://www.asil.org/insigh141.cfm

All international legal bodies, the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and every credible international human rights organization in the world without any exceptions whatsoever are in absolute agreement that Israel has no legal claim on East Jerusalem - and that it is part of Occupied Palestinian Territory. This is not even within the scope of rational debate.

Since East Jerusalem was annexed in 1967, the government of Israel’s primary goal in Jerusalem has been to create a demographic and geographic situation that will thwart any future attempt to challenge Israeli sovereignty over the city. To achieve this goal, the government has been taking actions to increase the number of Jews, and reduce the number of Palestinians, living in the city.

At the end of 2005, the population of Jerusalem stood at 723,700: 482,500 Jews (67 percent) and 241,200 Palestinians (33 percent). About 58 percent of the residents live on land that was annexed in 1967 (45 percent of whom are Jews, and 55 percent Palestinians). With the Palestinians having a higher growth rate than the Jews, Israel has used various methods to achieve its goal:

Physically isolating East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, in part by building the separation barrier;

Discriminating in land expropriation, planning, and building, and demolition of houses;

Revoking residency and social benefits of Palestinians who stay abroad for at least seven years, or who are unable to prove that their center of life is in Jerusalem;

Unfairly dividing the budget between the two parts of the city, with harmful effects on infrastructure and services in East Jerusalem.

Israel’s policy gravely infringes the rights of residents of East Jerusalem and flagrantly breaches international law.

East Jerusalem is occupied territory. Therefore, it is subject, as is the rest of the West Bank, to the provisions of international humanitarian law that relate to occupied territory. The annexation of East Jerusalem breaches international law, which prohibits unilateral annexation. For this reason, the international community, including the United States, does not recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem.

http://www.btselem.org/English/Jerusalem/

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. welcome to DU. I hope you don't let things get to you.

:hi:

[Douglas Carpenter]

12. Israel revoked Jerusalem residency of 4,500 Palestinians in 2008

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/02/AR2009120202534.html

East Jerusalem Palestinians who work abroad are particularly vulnerable. A doctor I knew who was from one of the old East Jerusalem families only discovered when he arrived at Ben Gurion Airport that he could neither enter the country or visit his house that had been in the family for generations. His residency had been revoked without notice.

It should also be remembered that the vast majority of Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories are not allowed to visit Arab East Jerusalem or worship at any East Jerusalem Christian or Islamic holy sites.

International Law declares East Jerusalem to be Occupied Territory. "Including East Jerusalem" - you will find that phrase in countless UN Resolution, statements by every credible international human rights organization that deals with this issue and even the International Court of Justice.

The international consensus backed by multiple UN Security Council Resolutions, UN General Assembly Resolutions and statements by every single credible international human rights organization and legal body that deals with this issue - affirm - and affirm without exception that East Jerusalem is Occupied Territory and that the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel is illegal and has been in fact declared null and void by a whole host of UN Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions.

Here are just a few - there are more:

Resolution 252 (1968)
Urgently calls upon Israel to rescind measures that change the legal status of Jerusalem, including the expropriation of land and properties thereon.

267 (1969)
Urgently calls upon Israel to rescind measures seeking to change the legal status of occupied East Jerusalem.

271 (1969)
Reiterates calls to rescind measures seeking to change the legal status of occupied East Jerusalem and calls on Israel to scrupulously abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the responsibilities of occupying powers

298 (1971)
Reiterates demand that Israel rescind measures seeking to change the legal status of occupied East Jerusalem.

452 (1979)
Calls on the government of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction, and planning of settlements in the Arab territories, occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem.

592 (1986)
Insists Israel abide by the Fourth Geneva Conventions in East Jerusalem and other occupied territories.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Nations_resolutions_concerning_Israel

--------------------



Even the one dissenting Judge in the in July 2004 case regarding the building of the Wall, Judge Buergenthal representing the United States affirmed that East Jerusalem has the status of occupied territory - although the vote went 14-1 against the wall. All 15 international jurist affirmed:

IV. Status of territory and applicable law (Paras. 70-106)

Regarding the status of the territory concerned, the Court noted that the territories situated between the line indicated in the 1949 Israel-Jordan Armistice Agreement (the "Green Line") and the former eastern boundary of Palestine (including East Jerusalem) under the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine were occupied territories in which Israel has had the status of occupying Power since 1967.

http://www.asil.org/insigh141.cfm

[Scurrilous]

15. Al-Aqsa omitted from Pesach Haggadah cover

Model of 'third temple' superimposed on Jewish books distributed in Jaffa kindergarten. Local Arab leader: Settlers trying to provoke us

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3865106,00.html

<snip>

"Haggadot for Pesach distributed Thursday in kindergartens throughout religiously mixed Jaffa bore a photo of the Temple Mount on the cover, but the al-Aqsa Mosque, which is also located in the east Jerusalem compound, was conspicuously omitted.

An image of a model of the "third temple" was superimposed on the photo in place of the mosque, which is one of Islam's holiest sites.

It is unclear who distributed the haggadot.

"We've seen red lines being crossed in the past, but this is a crossing of all boundaries," said Kamel Agbaria, chairman of the Ajami neighborhood council.

"People must understand that they live in a mixed city and therefore must be sensitive to the population's feelings. This Haggadah is a sheer provocation by settlers who came to live in Jaffa. They are looking to provoke the Arab public so that it will respond with rage. I hope someone will stop those who are inciting in time, so that the already tense situation won’t boil over," he said.

The Tel Aviv Municipality responded by saying that the haggadot were distributed without its knowledge."

[Scurrilous]

16. Erdogan: Israel erasing Palestinians

Turkish prime minister slams Israeli approval of new homes in east Jerusalem, says normalization of relations depends on lifting of Gaza siege

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3865244,00.html

<snip>

"Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned an Israeli decision to approve hundreds of new housing units in east Jerusalem, Turkish news agencies reported Friday.

In a meeting with his party, the Justice and Development Party (AK), Erdogan said ties between Israel and Turkey would not return to normal until the removal of the siege on the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan added that the decision to approve 1,600 new homes in Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo neighborhood was "unacceptable", and proves Israel "wants to erase the Palestinians step by step".

He called on Israel to halt all settlement activity and allow worshippers into Temple Mount immediately. "The steps taken by Israel can harm regional stability," Erdogan added."

[LeftishBrit]

26. Greek Cypriots might have quite similar things to say about Erdogan.

I agree with most of what he says (not about 'erasing the Palestinians step by step!) but again there's a bit of hypocrisy here.

[Violet_Crumble]

22. In pictures: Arab East Jersualem

Palestinians, along with a growing number of Israeli activists, see the move by Israeli settlers into the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, close to the Old City, as part of a broader battle for control of East Jerusalem, claimed by the Palestinians as the capital of a future independent state

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/15749c90-334e-11df-bc32-00144feabdc0.html

[shira]

23. Jerusalem's Arab population has risen since 1967 while the Jewish population has decreased

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem

"This would seem to corroborate the observation that the percentage of Jews in Jerusalem has declined over the past four decades. In 1967, Jews accounted for 74 percent of the population, while the figure for 2006 is down nine percent.<116> Possible factors are the high cost of housing, fewer job opportunities and the increasingly religious character of the city, although proportionally, young haredim are leaving in higher numbers. Many people are moving to the suburbs and coastal cities in search of cheaper housing and a more secular lifestyle.<117>

http://www.jiis.org/.upload/publications/facts-2008-eng.pdf

The proportion of Jews in the city’s population dropped from 74% in 1967 to 72% in 1980, and to 65% in 2007. There was a concomitant rise in the proportion of Arabs in the city’s population, from 26% in 1967 to 28% in 1980, and to 35% in 2007.

========

A better case can be made that Jews are being ethnically cleansed from Jerusalem.

[Violet_Crumble]

27. And who's ethnically cleansing all those Jews? Israel?

Anyway, I have a question which I'm sure you have the answer to seeing you would have read through that report you posted a link to. Did the area of Jerusalem change over the past four decades?

[shira]

28. Just pointing out how ridiculous it is to charge Israel with ethnic cleansing of J'lems Arabs (nt)

[Violet_Crumble]

29. You do realise that info you posted looks like it was misleading?

That's why I asked you about the area size of Jerusalem that was used by the report, and you didn't answer so I'll go on what I read in the report...

They claim that the Arab population of Jerusalem has increased in proportion to the Jewish population over the past four decades. The only mention they give of the area of Jerusalem they're including is at the beginning of the report where they say they're using the municipal boundaries. A bit later down they say one of the areas of biggest growth in population was Beit Hanina. What they don't appear to have done is taken into account that over the past four decades the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem have been extended by Israel so that they're now deep in the West Bank. The population of Beit Hanina wouldn't have been included as part of the population of Jerusalem until Israel extended the municipal boundaries.

[shira]

32. Beit Hanina became part of the municipal boundaries of J'lem shortly after the '67 war

[Violet_Crumble]

33. 1980 is 'shortly after the '67 war'?

After the 1967 Six-Day War, the Israelis occupied the West Bank, along with Beit Hanina, and thousands of Beit Hanina residents migrated to the United States. Immediately after the war, Israel unilaterally expanded the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem to include the eastern section of Beit Hanina, now known as Beit Hanina al-Jadid, and formalized that policy in 1980.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beit_Hanina


That publication you posted a link to is very misleading...