The Old City of al-Khalil abounds with unique Arab and Islamic historical sites and a rich cultural heritage that have been exposed for long years to Judaization attempts and violations by the Israeli occupation regime and Jewish settlers.
In an effort to confront Israel’s Judaization activities and to consolidate the City’s Arab identity Palestinian youth and media groups started recently to stage initiatives and tours in the Old City aimed at making the young people familiar with its history and traditions.
Last Saturday a crew of young journalists and media activists toured the neighborhoods and alleys of the Old City and visited its Islamic historical sites including the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Journalist Amin Abu Warda told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the tour was an opportunity to know about and highlight some of the daily suffering of the native residents of the Old City as a result of the Israeli occupation’s practices and to acquaint the participants with its ancient history.
Activists working in the field of tourism promotion accompanied the participants on their tour of the Old City. The most prominent one among them was Samer Hassouna who said the tour would contribute to strengthening the steadfastness of the Old City residents and resisting attempts to Judaize it.
Hassouna told the PIC that al-Khalil city is the only one divided as a result of the Oslo accords between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel into Area H1 and Area H2.
He affirmed that there are initiatives and projects to strengthen the Palestinian presence in the Old City such as a project intended to help the local newlyweds who have no place to stay in to start a family life by giving them a house and pay their water and electricity bills.
Hassouna also talked about some of the famous landmarks in the Old City saying that Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque was named after a pious religious man who was known for shedding tears out of fear of Allah (God).
He added that ash-Shallalah street which is adjacent to the Mosque used to be the most prosperous area in al-Khalil city where the headquarters of the municipal authority was once located in addition to many banks and private companies.
During the organized tour the participants had the chance to visit Prophet Ibrahim’s Hospice which provides food for the needy throughout the year and is known locally as at-Takiyya al-Ibrahimiya.
They also visited the Ibrahimi Mosque where Israeli soldiers imposed restrictions on their entry and confiscated their tour jackets and some of their caps.
The visitors met with Sheikh Hafdi Abu Snainah the Mosque Imam who gave them a detailed explanation of the situation at the Ibrahimi Mosque and its exposure to Israeli violations over many years.
For his part journalist Ra’ed Abu Rumaila talked to the PIC about the locals’ suffering from Israel’s barriers and checkpoints that restrict their movement as well as about the ongoing Judaization of the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Abu Rumaila pointed out that the Palestinian journalists in al-Khalil suffer from deliberate Israeli persecution in order to prevent them from conveying the truth about the occupation’s violations in the city.
He also affirmed that the Palestinians suffers from the presence of extremist Jewish settlers in the Old City saying the Jews took over Palestinian homes and turned them into hotbeds to assault the native residents and visitors.
