Al Quds Day – the UK agrees to host a racist, Islamist event

Al Quds (Jerusalem) is allegedly the third most holy site in Islam. Strange, then, that it is not mentioned anywhere in the Qur’an or ahadith. Some background: Before the Six Days War between Israel and her neighbours in June, 1967, Jerusalem was supposed to be an international city, holy as it was to three religions, and administrated by the United Nations so that Jews and Christians as well as Muslims could have access to their holy places. However, the envisaged administration by the UN did not materialise. Instead, upon Israel’s declaration of statehood on 14th May, 1948 and the resulting attacks on her by her Arab neighbours the 1,500 residents of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City were expelled and a few hundred taken prisoner when the Arab Legion captured the quarter on 28th May. The Arab Legion also attacked Western Jerusalem with snipers. Arab residents of Katamon, Talbiya and the German Colony fled. Arabs were also displaced in the battle.

As a result of the 1948 war, the old walled city of Jerusalem, which contains the Western Wall (the only remaining wall of the second Temple), fell into Jordanian hands. Jordan took control of all the holy sites and forbade Jews from entry to the Old City. They severely limited access of Christians to their holy places too. Israel retained West Jerusalem.

Half of the 58 synagogues in the Old City were either razed or converted to stables and hen houses over the next 19 years, including the Hurva and the Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue. The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives was desecrated. Its gravestones were used to build roads and latrines and many other historic and religiously significant buildings were demolished and replaced by modern structures.

Jordan was urged to remain neutral during the Six Days War, but it attacked West Jerusalem on the second day. The Jordanian army should have listened to the advice because Israeli forces captured the Temple Mount after hand-to-hand fighting and extended its law and jurisdiction to East Jerusalem and some surrounding areas, incorporating them into the Jerusalem Municipality.

In time-honoured fashion, Arab/Muslim belligerent self-pity and incapability to let go of grudges ensured that successive Palestinian governments have made the very most of their defeat by Jews in 1967. The Palestinian propaganda machine reminds the world of Palestinians’ "right” to Jerusalem (Al Quds) with monotonous regularity. Added to this, disturbingly, alongside the growing antisemitism in the West as a result of Islamist propaganda in newspapers like the UK Guardian, this specious "right” to sling out the Jews once more from the city which was their seat of government during Biblical times and where there has been a Jewish presence since before the Muslim prophet was conceived, seems to have gained some traction. It will come as no surprise to the well-informed reader that the message rings out loudest and most clearly from the Western capital city which is known for its welcome to all things Islamist and offers them freedom to spout their odious ideas – London. (...)