The holy city of Jerusalem was shaken by protests over the last several days as Palestinian citizens faced off against Israeli security forces over access to the Al Aqsa mosque. More than 205 Palestinians wounded during a night of intense clashes.
Tensions in Jerusalem have soared recently, with Palestinians complaining of oppressive restrictions during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Earlier this year, a Jerusalem district court ruled the homes legally belonged to the Jewish families. The Jewish plaintiffs claimed their families lost the land during the war that accompanied Israel’s creation in 1948.
The clashes there, in the Old City below and in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah went on for hours. The Sheikh Jarrah district is home to the descendants of refugees who were expelled or displaced during the 1948 war in what became known by Palestinians as the Nakba (catastrophe).
Meanwhile, the Middle East quartet of mediators — the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations — expressed concern over the violence and potential Jerusalem evictions. The group also called upon Israeli authorities to exercise restraint and to avoid measures that would further escalate the situation.
The recent violence illustrates that Jerusalem remains a flashpoint, despite illegal Israeli attempts to annex the holy city, while the threat to peace posed by radical Jewish groups is also very high. The fact is that no Palestinian faction will be willing to give up claims on the holy city. A statement from the Palestinian presidency termed East Jerusalem “the eternal capital of Palestine”.
The vicious attacks of extremist Jewish groups targeting Palestinians need to end immediately. Israel itself has been guilty of crimes against humanity targeting Palestinians and its own Arab population, as Human Rights Watch has recently noted.
Muslim leaders need to diagnose these problems and resolve them on a war footing. A reformed and empowered OIC will immensely help safeguard the collective economic and political interests of Muslims. Any delays in uniting the divided Muslim countries will further embolden the West to divide and weaken Muslim countries in this anarchic world.
