Jerusalem... a title, a conscience, and a goal

If Arabs, Muslims, and Christians do not realize that Jerusalem is a title, a conscience, and a goal, they will have lost much of what they are proud of: much of their past, much of their dignity, much of their convictions, much of their faith, and much of their aspirations for dignity, independence, and sovereignty.

The Israeli colonial expansionist project targets Palestine, its entire map and all its details, erasing its Arab, Islamic, and Christian past, its Arab, Islamic, and Christian human demographic presence, and planning, working, and programming to Judaize, Israelize, Hebraize, and Zionize it.

The steadfastness of the people of Jerusalem, supported by the Palestinians of the 1948 territories, the sons of Carmel, Galilee, the Triangle, the Negev and the mixed coastal cities, where the people of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, whether Muslims or Christians, are unable to reach Jerusalem to perform their duties, their feelings and their bias towards Jerusalem, its people, its mosques and churches. The conflict, its title, manifestations and actions by the colony, its tools, systems, parties and rabbis, is violent, racist and extremist, working in a hurry, seeking to shorten the factors of time to impose facts and realities and to modify the landmarks and systems, in the direction of Jerusalem being the unified capital of the colony, alongside the Palestinian West Bank as Judea and Samaria.

The steadfastness of Jerusalem, with its Palestinian organizations, the Awqaf Council, and the employees of the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, 972 full-time employees who serve as guardians of presence and loyalty, supported by the people of the interior: their parties, foremost among them the Islamic Movement with its southern and northern branches, their representatives, and their mayors, deserve respect, appreciation, and noble action, nationally, regionally, and religiously.

Demonstrations of steadfastness and local support are not enough. The Arab, Islamic, and Christian duty is a necessity, a duty, and a responsibility. Jerusalem is the first of the two Qiblas, the second of the two mosques, and the third of the two Holy Sanctuaries for Muslims, and the place of resurrection of Jesus Christ for Christians. It is the capital not only of Palestine, but also a global address that needs care and preservation in the face of the colonial policies that seek to steal and plunder it, erase its past and what it represents, change its landmarks, and replace its inhabitants, which requires the utmost degree of Arab, Islamic, and Christian attention.

As long as it is the first of the two Qiblahs for Muslims and the place of Isra’ and Mi’raj of our Master Muhammad, and the second of the two mosques: the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, and the third of the two Holy Mosques, why is it not linked to the binding duty of making every pilgrim performing the Hajj pilgrimage, and every pilgrim performing the Umrah rites pay: a contribution and a tax, and a duty, however modest, but its proceeds will contribute to covering the needs of the people of Jerusalem, especially the people of the Old City and its residents, and the programs of the Jerusalem Endowments Council, and everything that can be achieved, and not to be limited to the Jordanian effort in covering the necessary needs of the Jerusalem Endowments Council and the employees of the Ministry of Endowments, in addition to what is provided by the Palestinian Authority, which is officially and arbitrarily prohibited from performing its duties towards Jerusalem, and the punishment and accountability of its employees and the closure of their institutions dedicated to Jerusalem and for Jerusalem.

The struggle over Jerusalem is a glaring title, and it is a priority for the colonizer, as it is a national, religious and patriotic duty for all Palestinians inside their homeland. The gathering of tens of thousands of worshippers on Fridays, holidays and special occasions is nothing but the realization of this meaning, goal and struggle. Al-Quds newspaper is nothing but an authentic and expressive title, for decades, about what is happening in and for Jerusalem, and a wall of resistance for and from it. It was born in the Holy City before the occupation in 1967, when the city was part of the lands of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Its heritage has remained steadfast, and it is a distinctive platform that must be preserved and protected because it is exposed, like the institutions of Jerusalem, to pressure and deliberate weakening, on the path to decline and retreat.

Supporting Al-Quds and Al-Quds newspaper is a duty, a necessity, and a need. Will what can be done to sustain and strengthen it be met as part of the conflict and as part of the tools of the struggle against the colony, its projects, and its aggression?

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Al-Quds newspaper is an authentic outlet that reflects what is happening in and for Jerusalem. It was born in the Holy City before the 1967 occupation, when the city was part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Its heritage remains steadfast, serving as a distinctive platform that must be preserved and protected.