TOP FIVE

EXCLUSIVE:

Preparations for Ramadan in Jerusalem

1.     A new-old Muslim holiday? The Islamic Movement has called for public commemorations of the Laylat al-Miraj, Muhammad’s night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem. This comes on the backdrop of, and in order to protest, the past four months of restrictions on Friday prayers at the Temple Mount. The call notably comes just a month before the onset of Ramadan.

This is not the first time such commemorations have been called for, but they should be viewed in the context of the attempts to prepare for the upcoming struggles with Israel that generally accompany Ramadan. The relative calm that now reigns in Jerusalem, despite the war in Gaza, is not to the liking of the extremist Muslim elements.

2.    Imad al-Hatib stands to be appointed the PA’s new minister for Jerusalem affairs. This is part of the reforms demanded by the United States

in order for the PA to take over, as a technocratic government, the reins of power in Gaza on “the day after” the war. Al-Hatib, former Chairman of the Polytechnic University in Gaza, will replace Fadi al- Hadmi in Jerusalem. The new Finance Minister is expected to be Jihad al-Wazir, son of the notorious terrorist Abu Jihad, who was eliminated in Tunisia 30 years ago.

3.   Arab news sources and social media in Jerusalem report on a heightened pace of illegal-building demolitions. They say that the rate has returned to what it was prior to the war.

These reports fit in squarely with the reported sense of “vengeance” by Israeli authorities against the city’s Arab population on the backdrop of the war.

4.   As the month of Ramadan nears, official attempts are being made to ensure continued calm, and certainly not the opposite, in

Jerusalem. Unlike in previous years, no official meeting has yet been held between Jordan and Israel regarding visitation procedures to the Temple Mount during Ramadan. Nor have meetings been held between the Israeli authorities and the eastern neighborhoods on the topic. The only semblance of such is reported “contacts” being waged between senior PA figure Hassin al-Sheikh and unnamed Israeli elements.

The situation can be described as part of the attempts to act as if everything is as usual – even though the

present period is totally unprecedented in many ways. The widespread reports of continued restrictions on Temple Mount prayers certainly do not help create a sense of calm. The situation must also be seen on the backdrop of the continued efforts by extremist elements to push Jordan and the PA out of the way in terms of control of the holy sites and the Temple Mount.

5. The Turkish anti-Israel “Khir al-Umah” organization has received monies from Qatar and Kuwait, and possibly from other elements

in the Persian Gulf region.

It is noteworthy that a very widespread picture disseminated by the group is that of its members distributing Israeli currency bills to poor Gazans.

The Unknown Jordanian Soldier monument in Jerusalem was vandalized this past week. Stickers were pasted on it, stating, “Finish Them Off” and the like.

Shopkeepers in the Old City say that city inspectors are fining businesses that sell merchandise with a “PLO flag” motif.

According to one merchant, while they sell about 200 shekels’ worth of merchandise a day, they are liable to receive a fine of 1,500 shekels, “for understandable reasons.” This is another example of some Jerusalemites’ sense that they are being singled out to their detriment because of the war in Gaza.

Social Media

→ Web surfers have been complaining of difficulties in receiving service from the Immigration and Population Authority.

→ On the backdrop of reports that Jerusalem Arabs have seen a significant drop in their income during these months of war, the Ask Jerusalem website has publicized a list of job offerings geared specifically to Jerusalem Arab citizens of Israel.

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The Arab population in Jerusalem continues to sit on the fence regarding how strongly it wishes to oppose Israel, if at all. The approaching month of Ramadan adds a more poignant dimension to the issue, because while the war in Gaza does not directly affect most of the city’s Arabs, Ramadan does. That is, Ramadan is widely perceived to be symbolic of the struggle for Al-Aqsa and the view that Israel is threatening it.

Given the security-related restrictions placed upon Friday worship at the Temple Mount, it can be assumed that the attempts, both within the city and outside it, to stir up trouble in the Arab neighborhoods will only increase. As such, the residents there will have to make some possibly tough decisions as to how to act.

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