Beyond Images Challenging myths and presenting facts about Israel 
JERUSALEM: “The Jews are squeezing the Arabs out”
London - published 2 July 2003
Beyond Images Ref: 54



 Click to Printclick here to print page

Statement

“Since 1967, when Israel took control of the whole of Jerusalem, Israel has been squeezing out the Palestinians and “Judaising” the city”.


Response

  • Jerusalem’s Arab population is increasing quicker than its Jewish population: According to a 2003 report from the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs (JCPA), the number of Arab citizens of Jerusalem has grown quicker than the number of Jewish citizens. The number of young Arab citizens has increased much quicker. This trend is the exact opposite of so-called “Judaisation”.

  • Terrorist attacks are targeted at Jerusalem’s Jews not Arabs: Hundreds of Jews in Jerusalem have died in terrorist attacks – suicide and bus bombings, multiple stabbings, machine-gun attacks, bombings of pedestrian malls, supermarkets and cafes and restaurants. These began shortly after 1967 and have continued (with lulls and then intensive periods) ever since. The Arabs of East Jerusalem (unlike the Jews in the rest of the city) do not live under the constant threat of random, murderous attacks.

  • Palestinians deny the Jews’ religious connection with Jerusalem: Many Arabs and Palestinians question the Jewish connection with Jerusalem, in historical and religious terms (most notoriously, Mr Arafat is reported to have questioned the link at the Camp David talks in 2000). They question whether ancient Jerusalem existed, frustrate archaeological excavations, and rewrite Jewish history to suggest that the ancient Jewish capital was elsewhere. By contrast, while many Israelis are do point out that the Dome of the Rock is not as significant a religious location as Mecca or Medina in the Arab world, no sensible Israelis go so far as to claim that the Dome of the Rock has no religious significance for Muslims. The effort to deny religious connection is a one-way effort.

Conclusion

Far from the Israelis squeezing the Palestinians out, the Palestinians are numerically in the ascendancy in Jerusalem. Their leaders are conducting “ideological aggression” and their terrorist groups carry out terrible acts of violence in an effort to demoralise the Jews and to diminish the Jewish people’s connection with its capital city and spiritual centre.