The History Of Jerusalem After The British Mandate
Introduction
| – When Jews couldn’t establish a state in or outside Palestine, in 1948, Britain gave them Palestine.
– Back then it was under the British Mandate. Public resistance activities started from all the Arab and Islamic countries. – Many battles occurred refusing the occupation and the assault accompanying.
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Jordan’s Position before the Declaration of Establishing the Israeli State
| – The Arab countries didn’t stand idle seeing the occupation of Palestine.
– On the 14th of May, 1948, Jordan attacked the Jewish settlements that were established in Palestine. – The settlements surrendered immediately to the Jordanian Arabs. – Political analysts say that if the attack was a little bit earlier, Jordanians would’ve protected Palestine of the Jewish occupation. – Anyways, we can’t object to Allah’s will. |
The Declaration of the Israeli Entity
– On the 14th of May, 1984, Ben-Gurion announced the establishment of the Israeli Occupying State and the British Mandate forces retreated from Palestine.
– On the 15th of May, after one day of the declaration, the Arab armies, like the Jordanian, Syrian, Lebanese, and Iraqi armies, started their resistance, although the total number of the members of these armies did not exceed 24 thousand.
– Also, they weren’t that prepared, due to the weapon’s poor quality and the lack of coordination, unlike the Israelis, whose army consisted of 70 soldiers, and surpassed Arabs in weapons and training.
The Islamic Movements (Iraq)
– The Islamic movements had an important role in the Nakba time in 1948.
In Iraq, the Iraqi people formed the Palestinian Rescue Association, led by Mohammed Mahmoud As-Sawwaf.
– It had 15 thousand volunteers.
– The Iraqi government prevented them from entering Palestine, and ordered the Sheikh to join the Arab Liberation Army.
– When he agreed to that, the Arab armies disbanded this army.
The Islamic Movements (Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Bosnia, and Palestine)
– The Islamic movement in Syria led by Mustafa As-Siba’i, and in Jordan led by Abdul Latif Abu Qurah entered Palestine.
– In Egypt, under the pressure and the popular demands of the Islamic movement forces led by Ahmed Abdul Aziz and trained by the military officer Mahmoud Labib, the Egyptian government agreed to enter Palestine.
– Also, 250 young men from Bosnia volunteered in the movement.
-The Palestinian of the occupied areas in 1948, now called the Arab Citizens of “Israel”, rebelled, and the Qassami entered under the Army of the Holy War.
The Nakba in 1948 (the Jordanian Army)
– Acre fell under occupation on the 17th of May. After 2 days, the occupation forces headed to Old Jerusalem.
– A lot of men rebelled against them, despite the limited means; men like Martyr Abdullah At-Tal who stood against the Jewish garrison in the Old Town east of Jerusalem.
– He and the garrison’s commander Moshe signed a capitulation agreement that included the most important Islamic principles in war, like capturing men as prisoners of war, and freeing women, children, and elders.
– The western part of Jerusalem fell under occupation after the defeat in the Qastel Battle, known by Jews as Operation Nachshon.
The Nakba in 1948 (Taking Cities Back)
– In the 22nd of May, the National Assembly appealed for a ceasefire.
– This was after the Iraqi Army took Jenin back, the Egyptian Army took over Gaza, Beersheba, and part of the Negev, and the Jordanian Army liberated Jericho and A’skar next to Lod and Ramla, and besieged the Jews in Western Jerusalem.
The First and Second Truce
– On the 11th of June, 1948, a ceasefire was declared, for 4 weeks, to study the outcomes of the negotiations.
– The next day, the occupation forces started arming and training at the highest levels.
– They opened 75 centers in Europe for intensive training.
– American supplies, mainly aircrafts and weapons, arrived.
– After the end of the truce, the occupation forces headed to Jerusalem, to fight the Arab armies using the most powerful weapons.
– Threatened, the Arab armies retreated from their camps.
– On the 15th of July, a second truce occurred by a Security Council resolution.
– Demonstrations spread throughout the Arab World, but eventually Palestine with its cities fell under occupation, and the Palestinian people were displaced.
The Jordanian Rule
– The Jordanian soldiers protected the eastern part of Jerusalem, and it was annexed to the east bank of Jordan River.
– The Jordanian rule lasted for 19 years, from 1948 to 1976.
– During the time of King Abdullah I, many restorations were done; the most important of them are the covering of the Dome of the Rock with golden brass, like the one in the Umayyad era, and other restorations in Al-Qibli Mosque, that helped it survive the excavationsuntil now.
The Naksa War in 1967
– It is called “the 6-Days War”. Arabs, especially Egyptians, started the preparations.
– Led by Jamal Abdu An-Nasser, the Egyptian Army alone had 246 thousand soldiers.
– Its war capabilities, regarding weapons and tanks, exceeded those of the Israeli occupation’s forces.
– Yet, the Israeli aircrafts abruptly bombarded the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Syrian aircrafts in their strips. After the of the 6 days, Israel had occupied Gaza and the West Bank. What was left in the hands of Arabs was 23% of Palestine.
– The Israeli forces also occupied Sinai and Golan, then entered Palestine led by the Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan.
– They raised their flag on the Dome of the Rock, and handed Al-Aqsa Mosque over to the Department of Endowments, fearing the Muslims’ reaction.
The Consequences of Naksa War – 1967
– 330 thousand Palestinians were displaced, and their lands were confiscated and given to occupiers.
The occupation expanded the building of settlements.
– 10 thousand Egyptian soldiers, 6100 Jordanian soldiers, and 1000 Syrian soldiers were killed.
– Thousands were injured, and the war destroyed the Arab armies ammunition.
– The demands and resistance activitieswere disappearing after their great defeat and loss of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Attacks
– Many Israeli attacks and offences have occurred in Jerusalem.
– In Jerusalem Massacre, in 1990, 17 people were killed in the mosque’s courts, while in An-Nafaq Riots, in 1996, 3 people were killed.
– In 2000, another Massacre happened and 5 people were killed.
– Also, there are other assaults, like when Ala’aJuman attacked the Dome of the Rock and 2 people were killed.
The Burning of the Pulpit and the Excavations
– The Australian Jew Denis Rohan burned down Noor Ad-Din Zinki Pulpit in 1969.
– Also, to wipe off the landmarks in Al-Aqsa Mosque, the occupation is digging excavations around all of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s area, not only around Al-Qibli Mosque.