Dr Shafeeq Ghabra discusses the difficulties of life in Jerusalem today with Dr Shadia Touqan

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/Navariednews.asp?dismode=article&artid=1063358261

The historic city of Jerusalem plays a central role in all three major monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam as well as in a number of smaller religious denominations. The Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sculpture for Christians and the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock for Muslims are all important religious sites located in occupied East Jerusalem. Its cultural importance has not however spared Jerusalem from the violence of human conflict. Dr Shafeeq Ghabra discusses the difficulties of life in Jerusalem today with Dr Shadia Touqan, Director of the Welfare Association's Technical Office in charge of preserving the Old City. Touqan has a PHD in urban development from the University College of London.
The Dream of a Homeland
"You returned to Palestine from London to realise a dream. What is this dream?" asked Ghabra.
Touqan responded that the return itself was a dream realised. "I am like many others who had to survive and live away from our land," stated Touqan.  "My dream has been the same dream as that of thousands of other Palestinians who desire to return to Palestine and help in whatever way possible. I chose to do it through my expertise, which allows me to help in preserving the heritage and structures that make up the original city, the Old City," she said.
Touqan discussed the Welfare Association's revitalisation programme which involves the rehabilitation and preservation of various structures spread out across Jerusalem's Old City. "Since 1997, we have been working on revitalising the Old City by rebuilding whatever parts of it we have access to.
The Old City has been at the heart of the Arab-Israeli struggle. Most Palestinian residents of the Old City have had their residential rights challenged by Israel in one way or another," said Touqan, adding that she hopes that the project will help eliminate some of the problems faced by Palestinian residents.
Dynamic history
"Jerusalem is unique to different people for various reasons, and all those reasons are reflected in its dynamic history," said Touqan. "The Old City was built on Ottoman foundations and consists of treasurers, palaces, monuments, schools and religious sites and endowments which hold a significance that surpasses that of any other city. Prophet Christ spent his lifetime in Jerusalem and Prophet Mohammad ascended to the skies from there as well. The city has churches that represent numerous sects, from Catholic, Armenian and Orthodox, and also has important synagogues, temples and mosques," she commented.
"It's no wonder that the city's legal and political status is so highly contested. Not only are its buildings and religious sites extremely varied, but the people who live in the city paint it with so many different colours," Touqan added. "You walk into any and every quarter in the Old City, and history embraces you." "Jerusalem is in the eye of the storm so to speak. How is daily life there?" asked Ghabra.
"I do what I can with my expertise to preserve this priceless city because it gives evidence to the existence of our culture and traditions as Palestinians. Jerusalem certainly is in the eye of the storm, and so much violence surrounds the beauty of the city. Any efforts to protect its beauty may be able to curb the affects of the violence; or at least, that is our hope.
The programme we run helps residents live better in the city because it aims to rebuild and protect its civil society and public institutions, which service the residents. Preserving heritage and revitalising the city involves importing the labour and material needed for such a challenging task, and training our human resources on how to manage and undertake the project. This is one of the hardest parts of the whole project because the city is largely cut off from the outside world due to checkpoints and security measures," said Touqan, "which makes it difficult for us to receive the necessary supplies and manpower".
Jerusalem's revitalisation
Touqan said the main sponsor of the revitalisation programme is the Arab Fund in Kuwait, which provides the Welfare Association with a grant that has helped maintain the project since its inception. The Islamic Development Bank and numerous private donors also contribute towards financing the project. "For the first time we also have one European sponsor; this has never been done before due to the political scepticism and risk involved in affiliating a western power with a project of this nature. We usually are scared that their motivations are political, and we're trying to keep this project as neutral as possible," she said. 
Ghabra then commented on the UN condemnation of Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967, and asked Touqan to describe life in an occupied city where forces of resistance are largely shaped by Islamic tides.  "You feel the occupation even when all signs of police enforcement are dormant. You sense it in the buildings that surround the city, aside from the settlements. There are Israeli institutions that impose Israeli presence on Palestinians in the Palestinian areas. Regardless of any laws, international resolutions or outcries by the Islamist and/or Arab communities against their illegal annexation, Israel believes that East Jerusalem is rightfully its own. We have to live with that reality and have been struggling to do even the smallest things to change it and gain rights that are already ours."
Given the nature of occupation, stringent laws often restrict movement between different areas and make it harder for work to get done. "Our technical team has a responsibility towards seeing this project through.  So we do what we can to avoid further complicating the already tense conditions we have to work under, and we abide by whatever laws we need to in order to ensure the success of our project. We believe very much in the benefit it brings and promises to bring to the Palestinians and residents of the city."
The wall that divides
Living with the new wall built around Jerusalem is dealing with a form of apartheid that is ripping Palestinian families apart. Residents of parts of Jerusalem have been forced to flee their homes after the wall restructured the geographical distribution of living quarters, in turn affecting the identification needed to live in certain quarters. "The wall cuts right through Jerusalem and has now created a new area, a vacuum of sorts, which has divided the Palestinians that lived in the East," said Touqan.
She continued: "Many have left the comfort of their homes in the metropolis of the city because their IDs no longer match the new city divides. Approximately 36,000 Palestinians live in the Old City, and the majority of them already survive with horrible living conditions due to the population density. We hope that our revitalisation program can help these people by providing them with services that will better their standards of living."
"So it seems that Israeli policy is taking us back to the ages when people were governed and controlled through physical barriers in the cities. What happens to those who want to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque? What do they do about the security barriers?" asked Ghabra.
Touqan responded that very few people actually make it through the security checkpoints at any given time, especially on Fridays, the holiest day of the week for Muslims. "Residents could be living 2 kilometres away from the mosque and still not be able to make it, or if they do, it would take a whole day just to cross over. These are daily struggles that all Palestinian residents unfortunately go through. This is part of the harsh reality of occupation."

Muslim heritage
Touqan then discussed Israeli excavations of historical sights and locations in Jerusalem which are being undertaken by Israel in search for the first mount temple. "Israel maintains that Al-Aqsa mosque was built on top of this temple, but their excavations haven't found anything to this affect. The digging reaches about 25 metres deep and has met opposition by Unesco, which has repeatedly stated how destructive the excavations are and how much harm they are doing to the city," said Touqan.
"Israel is also sectioning off an underground area for the purpose of building an underground city. Not many people know about it, but it's been designed to include roadways, halls, and residential quarters."
The Kuwaiti youth on the program expressed deep appreciation and support towards Touqan's revitalisation project. They stressed the importance of preserving Jerusalem and protecting its Arab and Muslim heritage which is under attack. Focusing on the injustice of the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem and Palestine in general, several guests said that it was important for Arabs to overlook past differences in order to support the Palestinian cause.
"Jerusalem is not just a Muslim or Arab cause, it is an intellectual cause which should be supported by the entire region. A terrible crime takes place there on a daily basis, and there is so much to be done to remedy the situation. I hope we can help you and exchange expertise with you so as to assist your program. None of us should ever forget how crucial and close to home the Palestinian cause is," said Abdelaziz Al-Soqoby, a Kuwait University student unionist.