2. العدد الثاني - النسخة الانجليزية
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- ItemThe Many Faces of Jerusalem: From Contradiction to the Celebration of Diversity(Al-Quds University, 2025-05) Walid SalemAt the Threshold of Inquiry: The Questions of Jerusalem How did Jerusalem come to be a perennial site of conflict throughout its history? Has the city, across the ages, remained a fractured, fragmented space, where the existence of the other is denied rather than acknowledged? Has there ever been a time when Jerusalem became a haven for celebrating diversity—not on the basis of contest and division, but through shared citizenship? If so, under what conditions did this become possible, and what lessons might be drawn from the past to shape a nonviolent present and future for the city? How has religion, rather than acting as a unifying force to foster common ground, become a catalyst for conflict—both between different faiths and within the sects of each religion? Why is the Palestinian national identity of Jerusalem continually threatened—targeted by ancient historical claims as well as contemporary religious ones? And why are religious claims repeatedly invoked as a pretext for asserting political sovereignty over the city? Why, too, do we fail to follow the global precedent that affirms religious rights for diverse communities within a framework of national sovereignty—one grounded in inclusive citizenship that recognizes plurality and seeks to govern it through peaceful means? Can Jerusalem overcome its entangled contradictions to become a city that embraces diversity, manages it peacefully, and honors the globally upheld right to national sovereignty and shared civic belonging? This paper revolves around these questions and proposes a framework of thought aimed at deconstructing their complexities, in pursuit of a future wherein Jerusalem may flourish as a city that celebrates diversity. It begins with a concise survey of global experiences in navigating the tension between fragmentation and plurality, with particular emphasis on the national and religious dimensions as paradigms of such governance, and the current state of global practice in this regard. The paper then turns to the case of Jerusalem, examining its manifold identities— national, religious, social-communal, cultural, and beyond. It explores how these facets manifest through the interwoven intersections and contradictions of al- Quds, Jerusalem, and Yerushalayim. Finally, the paper concludes with a vision for the city’s future—one rooted in a peaceful framework for managing its affairs through shared citizenship, inspired by the ideas of the late leader Faisal al- Husseini. His vision is revisited and reinterpreted in light of the developments that have transpired since his passing in 2001.
- ItemAnnual Report on Israeli Violations in Jerusalem Governorate – 2024(Al-Quds University, 2025-05) Editorial TeamThe Jerusalem Governorate has released its annual report on the crimes and violations committed by the Israeli occupation in the occupied capital throughout the past year, 2024. The report underscores the relentless and ongoing nature of these transgressions, which permeate every aspect of life in the city, as part of a concerted effort to alter its demographic composition and erase its Palestinian Arab identity.
- ItemTHE URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF THE AQSA MOSQUE AREA DURING THE UMAYYAD PERIOD(Al-Quds University, 2025-05) Marwan Abu KhalafThis paper deals with Jerusalem as one of the holiest cities for Muslims after Mecca and Medina. Its holiness is attributed from being the first Qibla (Prayer direction) and from the famous Night Journey of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) between Mecca and Jerusalem. The city received a special attention since it became an Islamic City mainly from the Second Orthodox Caliph Umar ibn al –Khattab, who came personally to capitulate the city, and from the First Umayyad Caliph Mu’awiyya Ibn Abi Sufian, who transferred the political centralization to the Holy City. The paper also focuses on the urban development of the Aqsa Mosque Area, which forms the eastern part of the pre-Islamic city, through rehabilitating the area to be convenient for the Muslims’ use. This is clearly apparent by the structure of the Aqsa Mosque’s building, done by Umar and Mu’awiya, and by the structure of the most prominent project in the history of Islamic Architecture which includes, The Dome of the Rock, The Aqsa Mosque, The Amir Palace (Dar Al-Imara), and the construction and reconstruction of walls and gates around the whole Area.
- ItemShams al-Din al-Maqdisi, the Great Traveler The Greatest Geographer in Human History(Al-Quds University, 2025-05) Ashraf AzabThe French Larousse encyclopedia, in its entry on Arab geography, states: “If the reader seeks a marvel of geography in the eleventh century, they should not look to Europe, which had descended into barbarism, but rather to the Arabs.” When scholars—both Arab and Orientalist—unanimously recognize a particular work as extraordinary, their consensus carries immense weight. And when rigorous research affirms this consensus, the work in question becomes all the more valuable and worthy of reverence. Among the rare works to have earned such distinction is The Best Divisions for the Knowledge of the Regions (Aḥsan al-Taqāsīm fī Maʿrifat al-Aqālīm) by al-Maqdisi. This book has commanded admiration across generations, celebrated for its originality and insight. The German scholar Sprenger hails al-Maqdisi as “the greatest geographer humanity has ever known” and asserts that no one before him matched the breadth of his travels, the depth of his observations, or the meticulous structure he imposed upon his findings. The Dutch Orientalist Kramers regards him as “the most original of Arab geographers” and deems his work “one of the most valuable geographical compositions in Arabic literature.” The Russian scholar Kratchkovsky acknowledges his “authenticity, ingenuity, and remarkable powers of observation” and describes him as “a towering geographer and one of the greatest Arab writers of all time.” Lé Strange, a leading scholar of Islamic geography, considers The Best Divisions “superior to all other works by Arab geographers and the most original among them.” Dr. Shawqi Daif calls it “a true marvel”—akin to a cinematic reel that vividly portrays the inhabitants of the world in all their distinct traits. Meanwhile, Dr. Nicola Ziadeh describes it as “a model of scientific writing—meticulously structured, systematically organized, and scrupulously classified.” The French Orientalist Régis Blachère, in his Excerpts from the Most Important Arab Geographers of the Middle Ages, asserts that al-Maqdisi’s work is indispensable for understanding the Islamic world of that era. He credits the geographer’s “ever-alert curiosity, exceptional tolerance, and rare capacity for comprehension” with making his book “a magnificent depiction of the world as he saw it, in all its vibrant complexity.” In 1906, the Dutch scholar De Goeje republished al-Maqdisi’s work in Leiden, while the German geographer Walter Christaller later drew upon his studies when formulating his Central Place Theory—a model of urban distribution in southern Germany in the early twentieth century. According to Ibrahim Said, in his book Al-Maqdisi’s Contributions to Geography and Regional Studies, al-Maqdisi stands at the pinnacle of Islamic geographical scholarship, alongside luminaries such as al-Istakhri, al-Balkhi, al-Hamdani, al- Mas‘udi, and Ibn Hawqal al-Bagdadi. His meticulous depiction of the Islamic world in the fourth century AH (tenth century CE) remains unparalleled in precision and vibrancy. Said further asserts that “al-Maqdisi holds a unique status in Arabic geography, unmatched by any Arab or non-Arab geographer, whether medieval or modern—especially in his regional methodology and approach to the study of territories.”
- ItemInternational Court of Justice(Al-Quds University, 2025-05) Ralph WildeThe question answered in this article: 1. In Resolution A/RES/77/247 on 30 December 2022, the United Nations General Assembly asked the present Court to: ...render an advisory opinion on the following questions, considering the rules and principles of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, relevant resolutions of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, and the advisory opinion of the Court of 9 July 2004: (a) Israel’s actions since 1967—occupation, annexation, settlements, and discrimination—violate international law and the Palestinian right to self- determination, triggering legal duties for Israel, other states, and the global community. (b) How do the policies and practices of Israel referred to in paragraph ... (a) above affect the legal status of the occupation, and what are the legal consequences that arise for all States and the United Nations from this status?1 2. Question (a) asks what the legal consequences are of three related matters, which are described in question (b) as “policies and practices of Israel”: (1) First, “the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”. (2) Second, “its [Israel’s] prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem”. (3) Third, “its [Israel’s] adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures”. 3. A determination of the legal consequences of these “policies and practices” requires a determination of two sub-questions: (1) The first sub-question is, in each case, how, international law has been/is being violated—the question of legality/illegality. (2) The second sub-question is, in each case, and cumulatively, what the legal consequences of the answer to the first sub-question are for international legal persons legally implicated in the situation. 4. Question (b) asks: How do the policies and practices of Israel referred to in paragraph ... (a) above affect the legal status of the occupation, and what are the legal consequences that arise for all States and the United Nations from this status? Paragraph (b) highlights the need for the Court to explicitly assess how Israel’s “policies and practices” impact the legal status of the occupation—not merely as background to determining legal consequences (paragraph a), but as a central legal question in its own right. 5. Paragraph (a) presents the third “policy and practice” as intrinsically linked to the denial of Palestinian self-determination and Israel’s occupation, settlement, and annexation. The second set of actions draws its legal character from the first; thus, assessing their legality hinges on the foundational violation of the right to self-determination. 6. Paragraph (b) calls on the Court to deliver a comprehensive legal assessment of the occupation of Palestinian territory since 1967—not limited to a single legal domain. This includes evaluating the legality of all three “policies and practices”: the denial of self-determination, settlement and annexation (including changes to Jerusalem), and discriminatory laws and measures. 2. Two aspects to the question on legality/illegality of the occupation 2.a. Is the existence of the occupation lawful? 7. The first legality/illegality question is whether the existence of the occupation, in and of itself, has a legal basis. If it does not, then it is existentially illegal. This question falls to be determined according to the law of self-determination and, because the occupation is a use of force, the law on the use of force. 2.b. Is the conduct of the occupation lawful? 8. The second key legal question is whether the conduct of the occupation itself is unlawful. This is assessed under multiple legal frameworks: the right to self- determination (including return), the laws of war, international humanitarian law, human rights law, and prohibitions against racial discrimination and apartheid.