Struggle between Arabs concerning the Mosques esplanade in Jerusalem.

 

The first visits by Gulf figures to Jerusalem, encouraged by recent agreements between Israel and the Emirates, stumbled over rivalries around the site, called the Temple Mount by Jews. Palestinians and Jordanians underlined that they are the guardians of the Muslim holy place.

On December 14, members of a delegation from Sharaqa platform from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain met with the Israeli Chief Sephardic Rabbi, Shlomo Ammar, in front of the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem.

King David, with its view of the ancient city walls, is considered one of the most luxurious hotels in Jerusalem. The Foreign Lignitarians usually stay there when they visit the Holy City. Six influential people from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrein were received as heads of state on December 13, in the midst of Hanukkah, the major Jewish winter holiday. The small Israeli delegation is led by Amit Deri, founder of Reservists on Duty, an anti-BDS association, and the BDS movement. The visit highlights the normalization agreements signed on September 15 in Washington between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrein.

“We have to face the danger of Islamic extremism, whether it is used for political or religious purposes.” “Our main enemy is the Iranian regime that supports terrorist movements like Hamas and Hezbollah,” said Amjad Taha, a social media figure in the Gulf. With Israel, there is complete peace, and to make it happen we have joint projects. We want to exchange technologies, knowledge and students ... "

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin received digital activists, visited the Holocaust Memorial, and met Israeli bloggers in Tel Aviv. They launched a joint program, a partnership that "connects the peoples of the Gulf and Israel for a brighter future." The highlight of the stay was the lighting of candles on the occasion of the Hanukkah holiday, at the Western Wall, in front of dozens of Jewish believers who cheered these visitors in the keffiyeh and dishdasha, the traditional dress worn by men. In the Gulf.

Far more than a place of worship, it is a place of life

This triumphant tour did not include the Mosques Esplanade. This site, which the Jews called the Temple Mount and a noble sanctuary by Muslims, is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest site in Islam. Besides the golden dome of the Dome of the Rock, it is also a national symbol of Palestine and a microcosm of the conflict between it and Israel. Finally, it is one of the crown jewels of the Kingdom of Jordan, which manages the site, via the Jerusalem Waqf, which is a religious institution.

On October 18, Emirati businessmen visited the shrine when a young man briefly left them. “I don't talk to standard-setters like you. Emiratis get out!” Said the guard, who was from Hebron like many employees in the courtyard. No bloodshed or even quarrels, but the symbolism is strong: the strong Emiratis expelled by a humble Palestinian. One cannot enter the esplanade as a simple museum. Twelve gates provide access to the site, all controlled by the Israelis. Non-Muslims must pass through the Maghrébins Gate to the south. The delegations invited by the Jerusalem Waqf, the custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites administered by Jordan, use the Gate of the Lions In the north, Muslims can pass freely from any gate.

The esplanade is open to everyone, as long as one acts there in a sacred place

Businessmen passed, without prior notice to the Jordanian authorities, through the Al-Silsilah Gate, one of the closest to the Dome of the Rock, accompanied by the Hebrew state security forces. By doing so, the Emiratis would tacitly recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Noble Sanctuary. This is not the right approach. Yusef Al-Natsheh, one of the waqf voices, said: "The courtyard is open to everyone, as long as you act as if you are in a holy place." For Palestinians in Jerusalem, Al-Baha is more than just a place of worship. It is a place of life where they flee the heights of the Old City from the danger of the occupation.

When Donald Trump announced on August 13 that Israel and the United Arab Emirates were normalizing their relations, the blow was severe. Abu Dhabi violates the Arab consensus on Palestine, which has been supported since 2002 by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, calling for the text to establish a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. This hope, already fainted. Another passage in the advertisement has a bomb effect: “All Muslims who come in peace can visit and pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque, and other holy sites in Jerusalem must remain open to peaceful believers of all faiths.”

When Donald Trump announced on August 13 that Israel and the United Arab Emirates were normalizing their relations, the blow was severe. Abu Dhabi violates the Arab consensus on Palestine, which has been supported since 2002 by Saudi King Abdullah, calling for a text to establish a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. This hope, which he has already fainted, fades further. Another paragraph in the declaration has a bomb effect: "All Muslims who come in peace can visit and pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and other holy sites in Jerusalem must remain open to peaceful believers of all religions."

If I am an Arab and a Muslim, I cannot pray to Al-Aqsa, Jordanians are not doing a good job

The standardization camp has moved. Now is the boycott’s turn. The day after Trump's announcement, some flags and portraits of Emirati Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed were burned on the esplanade. The Palestinian Authority recalls its ambassadors. The mufti of Jerusalem declares that Muslim pilgrims cannot pass through Israeli authorities, but through Palestinian or Jordanian routes. The tension grew fast. The second Intifada, in 2000, began after Ariel Sharon visited the esplanade. The last showdown was in the summer of 2017, when Israeli authorities sought to install security gates to access the Temple Mount. The Palestinians had succeeded in peacefully blockading the city for several weeks. Netanyahu ended up backing down. “The Palestinian Authority is using Jerusalem by prohibiting official access by the Emiratis to the Holy Places, it wants to show that Jerusalem is still its capital. We are being given the message not to work with people from the Gulf, ”said Tony Khashram, president of the Association of Tourism Actors in Palestine.

On the Jordanian side, the Hashemite Kingdom, weakened by a chronic economic crisis and a strong Islamic opposition rivals, cannot lose the Haram al-Sharif administration. Oman is periodically concerned about the Gulf states plans, especially Saudi Arabia, regarding the management of holy sites. The endowment works behind the scenes. Does he ignore Emirati or Bahraini requests to visit, or are they testing the steadfastness of the esplanades’ people? We sent requests to the endowment. They just said, "Go ahead." Whereas a few weeks ago, they were burning our flags. "If I am an Arab and a Muslim and I cannot pray in Al-Aqsa, that means that the Jordanians are not doing a good job," said Amjad Taha, the influential Khaleeji.

Economic potential

It is not the administration of the holy sites that interests Abu Dhabi. Its economic potential does. Encouraging Islamic tourism is one of the stated goals of these normalization agreements, including the Israeli side. Of the 100,000 Muslim visitors in 2018, Israel hopes to receive 2 million visitors. Not to mention the Dubai Center, which cuts the way to major Islamic countries in East Asia, such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

Turkey started organizing Al Aqsa tours in early 2010, and it has been sold as an authentic pilgrimage. The Jordanians and Palestinians saw the potential, and gradually pushed the Turks off the market, saying that they should go through their channels in order not to betray the cause. Palestinian agencies covered 40% of Islamic tourism. 2017 was an excellent year. 2018, cool. 2019, great. Jerusalem was bustling with tourists every day. Everyone was making money directly and indirectly. The Palestinian economy was growing, and the money earned was reinvested in the West Bank. The epidemic has stopped all of that, "said Tony Khashram with regret.

With the altercation of October 2020 in the esplanade, the Palestinians and Jordanians showed the Emiratis that the esplanade could not be visited without passing through them. “I think the Gulf visitors were pushed by the Israelis and the Americans. But they got the message.You should not touch Al-Aqsa, or if it continues, blood will be shed among the Muslims," ​​said Daniel Seidman, director of the non-governmental organization Jerusalem Earth. The controversial phrase about Al-Aqsa no longer appears in the text of the agreements signed on September 15th. For Oman, the risk of losing management of the Holy Places appears to have been eliminated, with Joe Biden being elected. After a phone call between the future US president and the king of Jordan in November, the monarchy reasserted its role as regent.

“It was said in Riyadh that the Israelis were thinking of giving Saudi Arabia symbolic sovereignty over Al-Aqsa when the peace plan was being negotiated with the Americans, around 2018. The idea was that if Riyadh launched normalization, the rest of the Arab world follow. But Mohammed bin Salman was involved in the Khashoggi case. With the Emirates taking the lead. Riyadh is no longer seen as the locomotive. Stephane Lacroix, associate professor at the Buddhist Science College of International Affairs specializing in the Gulf, said the feeling is that the Saudis will eventually return to normalization when others do.