Jabal Mukkabir a stronghold for resistance has always been proud of its resistance against foreign invaders throughout the years. A wave of resistance operations have been launched against the Israeli occupation from Jabal Mukkabir in Occupied Jerusalem and most recently the operation of martyr Fadi Qunbur on Sunday 5/1/2017.
Jabal Mukkabir is located to the southeast of al-Aqsa Mosque and its population is estimated at 30000 and its families have social connections with families in the towns of Sawahra al-Sharqieh and Sawahra al-Gharbia.
Jabal Mukkabir was named as such after Muslim Caliph Omar Bin al-Khattab has recited the call to prayer on its mountain when he came to the city to receive its keys from Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem in the 15th century.
Israeli war against the neighborhood
The Israeli occupation authorities have divided Jabal Mukkabir into three parts excluding Sheik Sa’ed district from the mountain and attaching it to the West Bank after dividing it into three areas: al-Sawahra al-Sharqia al-Sawahra al-Gharbia and Sheikh Sa’ed.
Activist Rasim Obeidat who is a resident of Jabal Mukkabir said that due to the Israeli confiscation of land the neighborhood exists today inside the borders of the apartheid wall despite the fact that families from the same area live in Sheikh Sa’ed or in Sawahra al-Sharqieh which was separated by the occupation the thing that prevents communication between the eastern and western sections of the neighborhood.
Obeidat told the PIC reporter that a settlement named Zahaf Tsion exists on 114 dunums of the neighborhood’s area which were confiscated from the residents.
He highlighted Israel’s confiscation of lands located in the Eastern part of the neighborhood in what became known as the American Street which aims to connect Abu-Ghunaim settlement with a tunnel extending to Abu Dis town all the way to Ma’aleh Adumim settlement as well as connecting settlements located outside Jerusalem and Jabal Mukkabir with that located inside it in line with remarks made by Israeli radical Minister Neftali Bennett who threatened to annex Ma’aleh Adumim settlement to East Jerusalem.
He noted that an old Jewish settlement has been built on the lands of Jabal Mukkabir and Sor Bahir which goes back to 1969 named Armon Hanatziv in addition to the Israeli occupation’s police station known as Oz.
Obeidat highlighted the role of the residents of the village in resisting the Israeli occupation especially during Al-Quds uprising adding “Since the killing of Mohammed Abukhudair in July 2014 eight Palestinians from the village were killed three of them from Abujabal family: Bassam Oudai Alaa. Furthermore five more Palestinians were killed during the same period. They were: Mohammed Jaabis Bahaa Uliyan Motaz Uliyan Imran Abudheem and most recently Fadi Qunbur.
He noted that there are 150 martyrs from the village throughout the Palestinian struggle for freedom in addition to dozens of prisoners in Israeli jails.
Demands to deport Qunbur family
Some Hebrew media outlets have reported demands to deport the Qunbur family to the Gaza Strip or Syria.
Israeli cabinet minister Yoav Galant has told the Israeli daily Newspaper Yediot Ahronot “We should deport the Qunbur family to Syria.”
He called on Israeli Ministers of Security and Interior to withdraw social benefits from the family as well as their ID cards.
He added “It is not acceptable that Israel is giving the family social welfare and on the next day a family member carries out an attack” noting that he asked during the Israeli cabinet meeting to kick the Qunbur family to Syria.
Ayoob Kara the Israeli Deputy Minister of Regional Cooperation has called on the Israeli cabinet and government to work immediately on deporting the Qunbur family to the Gaza Strip as reported by the Israeli 7th Channel.
Following is a list of the most important operations carried out against the Israeli occupation by Palestinians residing in Jabal Mukkabir:
On March 6 2008: Palestinian Alaa Abudheem a Hamas activist attacked Haraf religious school in Western Jerusalem using a machine-gun killing eight Israelis and injuring 35 others before being shot dead by Israeli forces which besieged the school.
On August 4 2014: the Israeli occupation forces accused Palestinian Mohammed Aljaabis of intentionally running over Israelis by his caterpillar near the border area between East and West Jerusalem killing one Israeli and injuring 8 others before being shot dead by the Israeli security forces.
On 18 November 2014: Ouday and Jamal Abu-Jamal (cousins) attacked Har Nof synagogue in West Jerusalem using a pistol and a knife killing five Israelis and injuring eight others before being shot dead.
On October 13 2015: Bahaa Uliyan and Bilal Ghanim attacked an Israeli bus using a knife and a pistol killing three Israelis and injuring others at the Armon Hanatziv settlement. Later Uliyan was killed and Ghanim was arrested.
On 13 October 2015: Alaa Abu-Jamal attacked Israelis with his car in western Jerusalem killing one Israeli and injuring seven others before being shot dead.
On 8 January 2015: Fadi Qunbur run over Israeli soldiers by his truck in the settlement of Armon Hanatziv killing four Israeli soldiers and injuring 15 others before being shot dead.
