Editorial of al-Maqdisiyah – Issue No. 2
Date
2025-05
Authors
Said Abu Ali
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Al-Quds University
Abstract
This second English-language issue of al-Maqdisiyah is published in a moment
of grave and fateful developments surrounding the Palestinian cause. It emerges
while Gaza endures a campaign of annihilation—a war of extermination and
calculated destruction targeting every vestige of life—spilling into the West
Bank, particularly its northern regions (Jenin and Tulkarm), alongside Area C
and the city of Jerusalem.
This ferocious assault has laid bare the true objectives of the war: the forced
displacement of Gaza’s inhabitants through the ruthless deployment of military
machinery against a defenseless civilian population, and the deliberate eradication
of all means of dignified existence. The intent is unmistakable—to leave no path
open to the surviving civilians but what the occupation cynically describes as
“voluntary migration.”
Such an outcome aligns with the vision once voiced by Trump: that the war should
persist until its aim is achieved—displacing the people of Gaza, relocating them
beyond their homeland into neighboring countries, chiefly Egypt. Only then, it
is claimed, can Gaza be “rebuilt”—a process envisioned to stretch over many
years, culminating in the creation of a “Middle Eastern Riviera” under American
ownership or control. In this vision, the land is not homeland, but real estate; its
people not rightful heirs, but dispensable. This is a vision blind to the unalienable
rights of a people, blind to the fact that Gaza and its people are an inseparable part
of the Palestinian nation and its historic land.
Naturally, this vision dismisses entirely the foundations of international law,
tramples the principles and resolutions of the international community, and
violates—flagrantly—the statutes of global justice. It stands in contempt of the
rulings of international courts that have called for an end to genocide and forced displacement, and that have recognized the Palestinian people’s right to self-
determination—rights foundational to peace and stability, which cannot flourish
unless justice is done for the Palestinian people through the realization of the two-
state solution, long echoed by the conscience of the world.
Yet such a solution, long yearned for by the peoples of the region and beyond,
demands first and foremost that the international community intensify its efforts—
rooted in legal, moral, and humanitarian responsibility—to uphold collective
security, defend human dignity, and halt the machinery of extermination. The
international community must face down all efforts to uproot, erase, and silence
the cause of Palestine.
And if this community is to oppose Trump’s vision of exiling Gaza’s people
and imposing American dominion over their ravaged land—land soaked in the
blood of men, women, and children—then it must move beyond expressions
of condemnation and revulsion. It must act—urgently and through all available
means—to bring this genocide to an end, a genocide unfolding before the very
eyes and ears of the world. This war, and the unprecedented atrocities it continues
to produce under siege and starvation, pierce the conscience of any soul still
awake, forcing us to ask: what is left of our humanity? What meaning does human
dignity still hold?
At the same time, the informed observer and seasoned politician alike know well
that the genocidal campaign in Gaza, with its tactics and aims, is not disconnected
from Jerusalem. Rather, the world’s preoccupation with the war has been seized
upon to obscure the ongoing Judaization of the Holy City. These efforts, relentless
and systematic, are conducted under the cover of the Trump administration’s
recognition of Israel’s annexation of Jerusalem and the relocation of the U.S.
embassy to the city.
Given al-Maqdisiyah’s exclusive focus on Jerusalem, this issue is devoted to
themes that speak to the present and future of the city. It begins with a critical
overview of the events of 2024, a year marked by continuous assault and profound
changes—both geographic and demographic—aimed at dismantling Jerusalem’s
Arab identity and advancing settlement and ethnic cleansing schemes. We also
examine the occupation’s repeated violations of the sanctity of Islamic and On this front, al-Maqdisiyah is proud to launch a dedicated series of articles based
on a doctoral dissertation defended at al-Quds University by researcher Kamel
Rayan. His work, titled The Legal Characterization of the Current “Status Quo”
at al-Aqsa Mosque under Public International Law, will offer a rigorous legal lens
into this critical matter.
This issue also includes two vital articles: one on The Multiple Faces of Jerusalem:
From Contradiction to Celebrating Diversity, which explores coexistence and the
richness of demographic diversity that defines Jerusalem’s character as a city of
heavenly faiths; and another essay on Palestine and Sartre in Contemporary Arab
Thought, probing Sartre’s philosophical frameworks and their relevance to the
Palestinian question.
Furthermore, this issue features the annual report by the Jerusalem Governorate
documenting Israeli violations in the city, and a summary of the oral argument
presented by international lawyer Professor Ralph Wilde before the International
Court of Justice on behalf of the League of Arab States, concerning the legal
consequences of Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian
territories, including East Jerusalem.
The issue concludes with a tribute to a towering Jerusalemite figure—Shams al-
Din al-Maqdisi—widely recognized in historical and scholarly sources as the
greatest Arab traveler known to history. His legacy continues to illuminate the
cultural grandeur of Jerusalem.
As al-Maqdisiyah aspires to sustain its English-language publication, it extends
an open invitation to all scholars and objective writers concerned with Jerusalem’s
fate. Submissions originally in Arabic are welcome, as translation support is
available. We likewise welcome observations and suggestions that may further
elevate the magazine and deepen its contribution to Jerusalem’s identity—as a
sacred city of faith, tolerance, and peace.