Israeli occupation continues its efforts to erase Palestinian identity, alter historical, cultural landscape of Jerusalem
Date
12/12/2024 6:16:39 AM
(MENAFN) The Israeli Occupation continues its efforts to erase the Palestinian identity and alter the historical and cultural landscape of Jerusalem. According to official Palestinian sources, over 70,000 manuscripts and cultural monuments have been stolen from the city as part of a broader strategy of Judaization and control. In addition to expropriating land, demolishing homes, displacing Palestinians, and restricting their living conditions, the occupation has sought to erase Jerusalem’s Arab-Palestinian heritage. This includes stealing historical manuscripts and monuments to distort facts and promote a Zionist narrative that falsely claims the city's history as its own.
Ambassador Muhannad Al-Aklouk, Palestine’s Permanent Representative to the Arab League, condemned these acts as part of a wider effort by Israel to wipe Palestine from history. He recalled that the theft of manuscripts and cultural artifacts began in the late 1940s, with 70,000 books and manuscripts being stolen from Jerusalem alone during the 1947-1948 period of Palestinian displacement. Al-Aklouk emphasized that the Israeli occupation has waged a relentless war against the Palestinian people, involving not only land theft and displacement but also an attack on Palestinian memory and culture. This includes the destruction of historical sites, mosques, churches, and cultural institutions, alongside efforts to falsify Palestinian heritage, including Arabic food, dance, and traditional dress.
The speech by Al-Aklouk coincided with the release of the book The Palestinian Novel… One Million Years of Civilized History, which highlights the importance of preserving and documenting Palestinian history amid ongoing Israeli efforts to rewrite it. Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue their land confiscation practices, including the recent seizure of 94 dunams of agricultural land in Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, for settlement expansion.
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