Dr Maria Holt at 'Jerusalem: Legalising the Occupation' conference

Address by Dr Maria Holt at MEMO’s ‘Jerusalem: Legalising the Occupation‘ conference held in London on March 3, 2018.

Maria Holt is a well-known academic and lobbyist with a long involvement with Middle Eastern issues.She is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster where she lectures on the Democracy and Islam Programme.

Panel: Exploring the Historical Context

Throughout history, Jerusalem has always been the cultural, administrative and commercial centre of Palestine. Palestinians regard it as their capital city. Yet from the onset of their movement Zionist leaders set their eyes on the city.

In a letter to Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour dated 30 May 1918 Chaim Weizmann wrote: “Only one [holy place] which is…left to us…our most sacred monument, in our most sacred city, is in the hands of some Maghreb religious community… ”