Bulldozers doomed for failure
Controversial Mugrabi Gate works won't boost Israeli hold over east Jerusalem
Almost 40 years have passed since east Jerusalem was "liberated" along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. During those years the Israeli regime left its mark in east Jerusalem mostly through bulldozers and walls: Bulldozers meant to clear the ground for more settlements; walls meant to imprison more Palestinians within them.
In order to convince the Israeli public that the continuation of the occupation in general, and that of east Jerusalem in particular, is essential despite the many victims and absence of peace, the Israeli establishment ceaselessly makes note of the historical connection of Jews to east Jerusalem sites, and particularly to the Western Wall. Yet in the same breath, the establishment downplays the importance of the historical connection of the Palestinians and all Arabs and Muslims to the same city, and particularly to the mosque compound in the Old City.
The contempt shown to the occupied is so great Israeli media reports refer to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound (the third holiest Muslim site) as "Temple Mount." By doing this, the establishment seeks to entrench within the general public the notion that "they" have no history or religious holy sites, and "they" are in fact only temporary residents in a place called "Temple Mount," that is: Holy only for the Jews.
As a secular person, I respect the faith of all believers. As a humanist, I object to those who turn religious belief into a political tool and are trampling over the beliefs and feelings of others through the use of weapons, bulldozers, and walls. All those things lead me to feel great anger in the face of the unjust and silly excavations undertaken at this time in the Mugrabi Gate compound, very close to the mosque compound.
Colonialist attitude
Distinguished archeologists and public figures have already voiced their criticism over these excavations. I would like to add criticism over their colonialist aspect. The Government of Israel, the Jerusalem City Hall, and all other decision makers who decided to use the bulldozers are convinced, apparently, that any pole they placed in the compound would boost Israeli control in east Jerusalem. Yet the "facts on the ground" approach is premised on the morally indecent and historically futile assumption that the rights of nations and humans can be forcefully erased.
It's true that facts can be determined for a certain period of time by force (tanks and bulldozers,) but will they last? Weren't the Gaza Strip settlements facts of the occupations for many years? Wasn't the occupation of southern Lebanon a "done deal?" How about the occupation of the Sinai?
And how does the Israeli establishment respond to these fears? How does it justify the excavation work being undertaken without coordinating it with the Waqf, which manages the al-Aqsa Mosque affairs? How does it allay the fears of those concerned about renewed bloody clashes?
The establishment, which decided to make use of the bulldozers, also praises itself for informing those who needed to be informed and for making sure the excavation site is a certain distance away from the mosque compound. To be on the safe side, it also deploys hundreds of armed police officers and prevents Muslims (who aren't women or elderly) from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque.
In his important work "The Colonizer and the Colonized," Albert Memmi refers to such conduct by saying that after creating a new moral order where it is both the master and innocent, the colonialist can finally forgive himself on condition that this new order is not doubted by the others, and certainly not by the colonized.
The facts created by bulldozers and walls have the opposite effect, as attested to by the great change in the Israeli public's views, a change that took place "thanks" to the occupation and suppression that have been going on for 40 years now.
Today, Israelis are not only concerned about personal safety; they also openly ask: Will Israel survive? This difficult question is troubling us because many Israelis reached the conclusion that we cannot live by the sword; we can only kill and die.
