Al-Natsha: Jerusalem Must Remain the Center of the Conflict and the Core of Political Decisions in the Upcoming Phase

SadaNews - Major General Bilal Al-Natsha, Secretary-General of the National Popular Conference for Jerusalem, stated that the Holy City is facing a systematic project to Judaize it, targeting the people, place, and identity. This necessitates a strategic vision based on: enhancing the resilience of Jerusalemites financially, politically, and legally; protecting the city's Arab and Islamic identity; consolidating the Palestinian presence demographically in the face of uprooting policies; internationalizing the issue of Jerusalem and raising it more effectively in international forums. He emphasized that the current phase "witnesses an unprecedented uprooting of Jerusalem's citizens from their city," making resilience a top national priority.

Regarding the role of the "Fatah" Movement and the eighth conference in enhancing the resilience of Jerusalemites, Al-Natsha stressed in his press statements that Fatah represents the backbone of the Palestinian national project. He pointed out that the eighth conference constitutes a pivotal station and an opportunity to renew the movement politically and organizationally, rebuild trust with the Palestinian street, inject young leadership while preserving historical experience, conduct a comprehensive review of the organizational experience, strengthen internal unity, end the division, and formulate a clear political vision to confront the occupation. He affirmed that the success of the conference would send a message that the movement "is capable of renewing itself and continuing its historic role," especially in protecting Jerusalem and its citizens and confronting the dangers of Judaization and the Israeliization of the land and people simultaneously.

Regarding the relationship with Jerusalem, Al-Natsha said in his statements that the Holy City must remain the center of the conflict and the core of political decisions, and any resurgence of the movement must begin with supporting the city's resilience and facing demographic changes and policies of demolition and settlement. He described the demographic situation as the most dangerous, due to the expansion of settlements, the construction of thousands of housing units, the policy of home demolitions, forced displacement, and the seizure of properties within the Old City. He pointed out that the occupation seeks to change the demographic composition in favor of settlers and impose a new demographic reality that prevents any future political solution.

On education, curricula, and school closures in Jerusalem, Al-Natsha sees education in Jerusalem as a fundamental arena for confrontation through targeting Palestinian curricula and attempts to impose alternative curricula, pressuring Palestinian schools, closing some, and linking funding to acceptance of the Israeli narrative. He affirmed that preserving national curricula is a protection for Palestinian identity and that education represents the first line of defense against Judaization.

Regarding the economic and commercial situation in Jerusalem, Al-Natsha noted that the Jerusalem economy suffers from exorbitant taxes, arbitrary Israeli measures, the closure or restriction of commercial institutions, and weak investment due to the constraints imposed by the occupying authorities. He clarified that the future vision includes, in his opinion, supporting small and medium projects, promoting the resilient local economy, and connecting the Jerusalem economy with the Palestinian and Arab depth.

Concerning the ongoing settlement aggression against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of occupation forces, the Secretary-General of the National Popular Conference for Jerusalem stated that there are attempts to impose a new religious reality on the mosque through spatial and temporal division, warning against dragging Palestinians into unequal confrontations and exploiting incursions to change the status quo in the Al-Aqsa sanctuary, which is under Hashemite custodianship.

Regarding the tourism situation, Al-Natsha observed that the occupation seeks to reshape the tourism narrative of Jerusalem, while marginalizing the Arab and Islamic character in tourism pathways. He called for confronting this by enhancing external tourism and that of Palestinians from within the country to the Old City, the City of Jerusalem, and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and protecting historical landmarks from Judaization while supporting the Palestinian narrative globally.

Al-Natsha believes that lifting Jerusalem requires popular resilience, national unity, renewing the Fatah Movement, and activating its leadership and historical role in the city, along with providing economic support to traders and Palestinian educational institutions capable of confronting the danger of Judaizing curricula and politically and internationally opposing Judaization.

He affirmed that the upcoming phase requires: a unified national leadership, a clear political project, and restoring the importance of Jerusalem as the primary axis of conflict with the occupation.