Al-Natsheh: Jerusalem Must Remain the Center of Conflict and the Axis of Political Decision in the Coming Stage

SadaNews - Major General Bilal Al-Natsheh, the Secretary-General of the National Popular Conference for Jerusalem, stated that the holy city is facing a systematic project aimed at judaizing the city, targeting the human, place, and identity. This necessitates a strategic vision based on: enhancing the steadfastness of Jerusalemites materially, politically, and legally, protecting the Arab and Islamic identity of the city, and consolidating the Palestinian demographic presence in the face of uprooting policies, internationalizing the issue of Jerusalem, and raising it to international forums more effectively. He emphasized that the current stage "witnesses an unprecedented uprooting of the Jerusalemite citizens from their city," making steadfastness a national priority.

Regarding the role of the "Fatah" movement and the eighth conference in enhancing the steadfastness of Jerusalemites, Al-Natsheh stressed in his press statements that the Fatah movement represents the backbone of the Palestinian national project, and that the eighth conference constitutes a pivotal station and an opportunity to politically and organizationally renew the movement, rebuild trust with the Palestinian street, inject young leadership while preserving historical experience, conduct a comprehensive review of the organizational experience, enhance internal unity, end the division, and formulate a clear political vision to confront the occupation. He confirmed that the success of the conference would send a message that the movement "is capable of renewing itself and continuing its historical role," especially in protecting Jerusalem and its people and facing the danger of judaization and israeliization of both land and people simultaneously.

About the relationship with Jerusalem, Al-Natsheh said in his statements that the holy city must remain the center of conflict and the axis of political decision, and that any revival of the movement must begin with supporting the steadfastness of the city and confronting changes in the demographic situation 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 demolishing homes, forced displacement, and the seizure of properties within the Old City, noting that the occupation seeks to change the demographic structure in favor of settlers and impose a new demographic reality that prevents any future political solution.
 
Concerning education, curricula, and the closure of schools in Jerusalem, Al-Natsheh sees education in Jerusalem as a primary arena of confrontation through targeting Palestinian curricula and attempting to impose alternative curricula, pressuring Palestinian schools, closing some of them, and linking funding to accepting the Israeli narrative, affirming that preserving national curricula is a safeguard for Palestinian identity and that education represents the first line of defense against judaization.
 
Regarding the economic and commercial situation in Jerusalem, Al-Natsheh pointed out that the Jerusalem economy suffers from high taxes, arbitrary Israeli measures, the closure of commercial institutions or restrictions on them, and weak investment due to the restrictions imposed by the occupation authorities, explaining that the future vision includes, in his opinion, supporting small and medium projects, enhancing the local resistant economy, and linking the Jerusalem economy with the Palestinian and Arab depth.
 
Regarding the continuous settlement aggression against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque with the protection of the occupation forces, the Secretary-General of the National Popular Conference for Jerusalem stated that there are attempts to impose a new religious reality at the mosque through temporal and spatial division, warning against dragging Palestinians into unequal confrontations and exploiting incursions to change the status quo in the Al-Quds Al-Sharif sanctuary, which is under Jordanian guardianship.

Concerning the tourism situation, Al-Natsheh saw that the occupation seeks to reshape the tourism narrative of Jerusalem, while marginalizing the Arab and Islamic character in the tourist paths, calling to confront this by enhancing external tourism and that of Palestinians from within to the Old City, Jerusalem, and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, protecting historical landmarks from judaization, and supporting the Palestinian narrative globally.

Al-Natsheh believed that the revival of Jerusalem requires popular steadfastness, national unity, renewing the Fatah movement, activating its leadership and historical role in the city, and providing economic support for merchants and Palestinian educational institutions capable of confronting the danger of judaizing curricula and countering judaization politically and internationally.

He affirmed that the coming stage requires: a unified national leadership, a clear political project, and restoring Jerusalem's status as the primary axis of conflict with the occupation.