'Jerusalem is on the brink of an explosion'

Jerusalem is on the edge and may erupt as a result of the escalation in measures being taken by the Israeli occupation forces in the city, the governor has warned.

In an interview with the Palestinian Information Centre, Governor of Jerusalem and Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Adnan Al-Husseini, said the situation in Jerusalem reveals the flaws of the occupation government over the past 50 years and which have led it to respond with even more force, oppression and abuse in order to cover up its failure.

He described the city as being “on the brink of an explosion as the extremist occupation government is pushing towards escalation and we do not see any future on which to build”.

He said: “The visit of the President of the occupying state, Reuven Rivlin, to Damascus Gate a few days ago comes as part of efforts to raise the morale of Zionist border guards and security forces on the pretext that they suffer from security problems with the Palestinians in their city.”

They forget that they are occupiers and that the Palestinians are the owners of the land and of Jerusalem. These Palestinian groups, which have visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque in their thousands, have the right to come to their city and worship on its holy sites.

He added, “Israelis, from the lowest levels of society to the top, only look out for themselves and their interests and do not give any consideration to others. For them, the Palestinian is invisible and does not exist. This is what creates problems for them that will never end, because the Palestinians have solid and well-founded rights, which they will never let go of, and they will never allow Jerusalem to be taken away from them.”

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Al-Husseini explained that developments affecting the city prove that the Zionist security forces have failed. The city of Jerusalem is besieged and isolated, and its people are suffering. The occupation must end in order to achieve safety and preserve the rights and dignity of Palestinians in the city.

He condemned the Israeli policies of uprooting trees near the Damascus Gate, saying: “This is something that only the occupation authorities do, which are hostile to Palestinian citizens and to trees and stones.”

Since its occupation, Jerusalem has been subjected to fierce settler attacks and Judaisation campaigns. The Zionist focus has been on two areas of Jerusalem – the Old City and the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Their “failure to Judaise and take over the city [is] thanks to the resistance and steadfastness of Palestinian citizens, and the way in which they have protected the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City, which hosts most Islamic and Christian holy sites.”

“Nowadays, the occupation is trying to intensify its covert campaign to erase the names of squares and streets in an open battle that takes on a cultural aspect, in an effort to Judaise Jerusalem.”

This is an attempt to drive people away from the reality that Jerusalem has a united, authentic and ancient language, history and geography. The Occupation is trying to promote a different, false and distorted language, history and geography.

Translated from the Palestinian Information Centre, 20 June 2017