3. العدد الثالث - النسخة الانجليزية
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- ItemDoctoral Dissertations as the Basis of Knowledge Production in Jerusalem Studies (2001–2020): An Analytical Overview(Center for Jerusalem Studies - Al-Quds University, 2026-06-19) Rashid SheikhoThis research aims to survey and analyze all doctoral dissertations within the field of Jerusalem Studies from the inception of this academic field in 2001 through 2020. The study provides a comprehensive overview of these academic works (theses), examining their objectives, findings, and core content, while categorizing them according to their primary themes. By documenting these dissertations, this research establishes a robust framework for the development of Jerusalem Studies and offers researchers a vital resource for selecting and developing their research topics. Additionally, this research assesses the academic output in the field of Jerusalem Studies to date, identifying well-explored areas as well as critical research gaps and weaknesses, and offering recommendations to address them. Utilizing a descriptive-analytical methodology, the study is structured into three parts: an introduction to the knowledge project known as Jerusalem Studies, a detailed analysis of dissertation abstracts, and a thematic classification that highlights neglected areas requiring further scholarly investigation.
- ItemEducation in East Jerusalem The Directorate of Education: Establishment, Current Status, Realities, Achievements, and Challenges (1967- 2025)(Center for Jerusalem Studies - Al-Quds University, 2026-06-19) Dima J. Al-SammanThis study examines the development of Palestinian education in East Jerusalem from 1967 to 2025 by analyzing the role of the Directorate of Education as a central actor in safeguarding national identity within the context of prolonged settler-colonial domination. The study seeks to trace the structural transformations that Jerusalem’s education system has undergone, beginning with the phase of popular resistance following the occupation, through the institutionalization of private and endowment-based (waqf) education, and up to the phase of direct administrative control and the escalation of Israelization policies, especially after 2019. The study investigates Israeli modes of intervention in education, including conditional funding schemes, curricular regulation, direct school management, and interference in the appointment of educational leadership, as forms of structural (soft) coercion aimed at redefining the function, content, and social role of education. At the same time, the study highlights forms of educational resilience developed by the Jerusalemite community through private education, community initiatives, and conscious educational practices led by teachers increasing institutional constraints. Methodologically, the study adopts a historical-analytical approach drawing on United Nations and human rights reports, as well as critical literature in the sociology of education and settler-colonial studies, concluding that education in Jerusalem remains a central arena for the struggle over identity and existence, and that its protection requires a distinct national vision that takes into account the city’s unique character and its political and legal context.
- ItemJerusalem and the Question of Palestine in Syrian Curricula and Theses: Damascus University as a Model (1925–2024)(Center for Jerusalem Studies - Al-Quds University, 2026-06-19) Bushra Khair BekJerusalem and Palestine remain central in Syria's political and cultural discourse, where they are regarded as integral parts of the Arab homeland. Geographically and historically, Palestine and Syria form part of Bilad al-Sham, with Palestine historically serving as the gateway to the Mashriq (the Eastern Arab world). Jerusalem and the Palestinian question are also present in educational curricula at all levels of basic and university education. Their presence has remained uninterrupted at every stage since the establishment of the nucleus of Damascus University (formerly the Syrian University), which served as a cradle of student political activism rejecting Zionist activity in Palestine and continues to do so to the present day. This continuity has been maintained through the teaching of Palestine and its cause in the course National Arab Culture, which is compulsory for all first-year students in Syrian universities across all faculties. In addition, several faculties address the Palestinian cause either through dedicated courses or through specific chapters within certain courses. Furthermore, this topic has also featured prominently in university theses at the master's and doctoral levels, as well as in graduation projects, across a range of disciplines, including political, social, economic, and urban studies.
- ItemSilwan: A Long Palestinian History, Heritage, and Existence(Center for Jerusalem Studies - Al-Quds University, 2026-06-19) Daoud GhoulAl-Quds (Jerusalem) is one of the most famous cities in the world — renowned for its history, religious sites, and tourism. It is also known for a long colonial struggle, during which the city acquired a unique position among its native people, visitors, and colonizers. It became targeted for Western and Israeli archaeological excavations as part of an effort to claim the history of the city and exterminate its Palestinian historical heritage. This colonial act is known in the literature as “the logic of elimination” (e.g., Wolfe 2006; Salamanca et al. 2012), or the elimination of memory ‘damnatio memoriae’ (Bodnaruk 2022). The settler colonial elimination in Silwan is carried out through various projects that use archaeology to erase the Palestinian history, memory, and existence, transforming the area into the ‘City of David’ (e.g., Hawari 2022). This reflects the Zionist notion that Palestine is ‘a land without a people for a people without a land’. In this paper, I examine the rich literature on Palestinian existence, heritage, and history in Silwan.
- ItemThe First Restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque under the Supervision of the Supreme Muslim Council (1922–1925): A Study of the Role of the Architect Ahmad Kamal al-Din(Center for Jerusalem Studies - Al-Quds University, 2026-06-19) Khalil JamousThe study examines how the collapse of the Ottoman Empire—the entity traditionally responsible for safeguarding Islamic holy sites—precipitated severe post-World War I political and economic challenges that directly hindered restoration efforts at Al-Aqsa Mosque. This historical reality raises critical questions regarding how these destabilizing conditions influenced the selection of architects, shaped project management, and complicated the procurement of the funding necessary to execute the restorations in accordance with required engineering standards. Within this analytical framework, the study posits that, although the Supreme Islamic Council entrusted the Jerusalemite engineer Rushdi Al-Imam Al-Husseini with supervising the restoration of Al-Aqsa Mosque architect, it was, however, suggested to the Council to summon the architect Ahmed Kamal El-Din from Turkey to carry out this task. The research study aims to uncover the underlying reasons behind this preference. The study posits that Ahmad Kamal al-Din visited Jerusalem during the late Ottoman era, between 1910 and 1912, to evaluate the structural integrity of the monuments for restoration purposes, a pre-war survey that demonstrates the Ottoman Empire had actively planned maintenance operations at Al-Aqsa Mosque prior to its eventual defeat. Ultimately, this early site visit provided Ahmad Kamal al-Din with precise, firsthand knowledge of the extent of the structural damage and fissures, which later enabled him to contribute effectively to the restoration project once the Supreme Muslim Council assumed institutional oversight.
- ItemThe National and Civil Society Action Committee in Jerusalem and the Protection of National Education (2011–2022): A Case Study(Center for Jerusalem Studies - Al-Quds University, 2026-06-19) Mazen Al-Ja’bariThis qualitative study, designed as a case study, examines the experience of The National and Civil Society Action Committee in Jerusalem (hereafter referred to as the Committee) as a community-based coordinating framework that sought to protect national education and confront Israelization policies in East Jerusalem during the period 2011–2022. It aims to analyze the Committee’s mechanisms of action, the conditions of its effectiveness, and the limits of its sustainability in protecting national education. The study relied on the analysis of a range of documents, including position papers, reports, organizational documents, proposals, and archival materials, in addition to five semi-structured interviews with relevant actors. The study employed thematic analysis through coding, theme-building, and the triangulation of evidence between documents and testimonies. The findings show that the targeting of education has taken on a complex character, involving symbolic and cognitive pressure on the curriculum and the national narrative, as well as continuous administrative and institutional regulation through control, inspection, requirements, and licensing, all of which raise the cost of educational decision-making and reduce the margin for maneuver within schools. In contrast, the Committee’s effectiveness in transforming pluralism into organizational capacity was manifested through three clusters of intervention: coordination and organization; mobilization, awareness-raising, and the construction of the national educational argument; and intervention and response in times of escalation. Community partnerships, especially with parents’ committees, played a pivotal role in reducing the isolation of schools and building a community protection network. However, sustainability was constrained by fluctuating resources and internal governance challenges, including overlapping roles, competing reference points, and weak documentation. The study concludes that the Committee’s impact ranged from a symbolic dimension that unified discourse to a practical dimension that requires the institutionalization of follow-up, an extended plan, and more stable resources. It also finds that the adaptability of this model in other contexts depends on the clarity of reference points, decision-making mechanisms, documentation, and community partnership.
- ItemThe Role of Christian Schools in Jerusalem (1967–2025): A Study on Identity, Cultural Resilience, and the Challenges of Systematic Israelization(Center for Jerusalem Studies - Al-Quds University, 2026-06-19) Daoud Kassabri; Nazmi Abu HlayyelThis study investigates the educational and national role of Christian schools in Jerusalem between 1967 and 2025, analyzing their current standing amidst funding crises and policies of systematic Israelization. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the researchers gathered quantitative data through two surveys distributed to a sample of teachers (n = 84) and alumni (n = 94). Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with eight school principals (n = 8) and analyzed using Grounded Theory. The findings reveal that Christian schools play a significant role in fostering values of coexistence (mean = 4.23) and constructing a Palestinian national identity among both students and graduates. Furthermore, the study identifies a severe funding gap; while official claims suggest that the occupation authorities provide 65% of operating budgets, the actual support ranges only between 40% and 60%. The study characterizes this discrepancy as a form of "soft financial colonialism." Qualitative analysis further uncovered "circumventive pedagogical strategies" employed by educational staff to bolster the school’s role in resisting the removal of national content from the curricula. The study recommends the establishment of an independent endowment fund to support education in Jerusalem and ensure educational sovereignty. It also emphasizes the need to activate alumni networks as a means of safeguarding the city’s cultural heritage.
- ItemThe Role of Palestinian Teachers in Resisting the Israelization of Education in East Jerusalem (2015–2024): Strategies and Experiences(Center for Jerusalem Studies - Al-Quds University, 2026-06-19) Rabee BaderThis study examines the role of Palestinian teachers in East Jerusalem in confronting policies of Israelization within the education system between 2015 and 2024. These policies, implemented through ministerial directives and Israeli five-year plans, seek to reshape the cognitive and cultural orientations of Palestinian students. Within this context, the study conceptualizes teachers as pedagogical and cultural actors whose role extends beyond the transmission of knowledge to include diverse forms of educational resistance. This resistance is manifested through both overt and covert practices, including alternative pedagogical approaches and extracurricular activities that aim to cultivate critical consciousness and reinforce cultural belonging. The study employs a qualitative methodology based on two case studies conducted in East Jerusalem schools (J/M Boys’ School and R/W Girls’ School). It analyzes variations in teachers’ practices along a continuum ranging from resistance to compliance with Israelization policies. The findings indicate that Palestinian teachers function as a primary agent of educational resistance to these policies. Moreover, the effectiveness of such resistance is closely associated with the level of community engagement and institutional support within the school environment. Despite fieldwork limitations and security-related constraints that restricted access to certain educational settings, the study underscores the centrality of education as a site of cultural and political contestation. It further positions teachers as key actors in resisting cultural domination and in reframing education as an emancipatory practice within East Jerusalem. The study concludes by recommending the strengthening of pedagogical, institutional, and community-based support systems for Palestinian teachers in order to mitigate the impact of Israelization policies on students.