Alwaght - A golden vault glittering under the sun is the composition of a picturesque image of the Dome of the Rock that comes to the minds of many when the name of al-Aqsa mosque is mentioned. Unfortunately, western-media use pictures of the Dome of the Rock when speaking about al-Aqsa, and al-Quds in general, to divert attention from the silver dome, which is being threatened by the Israeli regime's plan to completely judaize the city.
Does anyone even notice the holy mosque in the background? Well, that's the whole point. The ploy was to alter the collective awareness about the state of compound while the sanctity of one of Islam's holiest sites continues to be violated.
The Noble Sanctuary, the compound housing al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock is referred to as the Temple Mount among the Israelis. Excavations around the premises have been underway since 1967 with the Israeli regime claiming to be searching for the Temple of Solomon. The digging that threatens the foundations of the mosque is considered to be desecration as the site holds a high religious value among Muslims. Meanwhile, reports have suggested the Israeli regime is planning to build a synagogue in the compound.
But this is only one side of the attempted judaization of al-Quds, the sole purpose of which is to change the identity of the city so that the Israeli regime can monopolize it as its capital.
Holy Land
The settlement expansion policy adopted by the Israeli regime aims to fulfill this goal. Continued settlement construction in occupied al-Quds has lead to the doubling of the number of settlers and decreasing the percentage of the Palestinian population, comprising one third of the city's residents.
Confiscating Palestinian's property also serves that purpose, as Tel Aviv seeks to corner Arab presence in al-Quds. Expelling Palestinians by demolishing their homes and revoking their identity cards are two methods the Zionists undertake to tilt the demographic balance in the city. Despite the retraction of ID's from more than 5,000 Makdessite families, Palestinians still make up 35% of the total population.
What's in a name?
Israeli authorities have also tried to invade the city's culture and language. Up to 7,000 Palestinian locations have been given Jewish names, i.e. 5,000 historical and geographical locations and around 2,000 settlements. The names of Arab areas have been changed into Hebrew and have even been incorporated into the education curriculum to engrave it in the minds of Arab youths, a move aimed at subliminally erasing it from the memory of the present Palestinian generation. The most known example is stripping al-Quds of its Islamic and Arabic name which is derived from the word "sacred" and replacing it with Yerushaláyim in Hebrew, and Jerusalem in English. While it is by no means a contentious point over linguistics, it's a matter of identity, culture, and religious significations. For example, the Israeli regime has ordered that traffic signs in Arabic must call the city Urshalim, including the name "Al-Quds" only in brackets.
In the face of such attempts to expunge the word al-Quds from the modern-day lexicon from the Islamic nation, Muslims are still calling the city by its name.
Numbers don't lie
The United Nations estimated that the Zionist regime demolished the homes of 969 Palestinians- including 493 residences and structures in 2014.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as many as 200 houses have been destroyed so far in the West Bank and al-Quds.
While Palestinian homes are torn down, illegal Israeli settler units continue to rise. Statistical figures show that settlement construction in the West Bank rose in the first quarter of 2015 with a 935 rise in starts and a notable 219% spike in completed housing.
The Judaization of al-Quds is taking place at this very moment before the eyes of what is referred to as the international community. What's at stake is more than just buildings, words, and land. What's at stake is an entire nation's historical, cultural, and religious identity which will vanish if swift action is not taken to stop the Israeli regime from bulldozing it to the ground.
