Jordan is convening an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from the Arab and Islamic world over what it says is an “imminent” threat of an Israeli takeover of the most important Muslim site in Jerusalem, with the potential to “trigger a religious conflict”. The meeting on Wednesday – and the Jordanian warning – follow an escalating pattern of government-backed incursions by Jewish religious extremists on the compound around al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock, in violation of a status quo treaty overseen by Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy, by which only Muslims can pray at the site. On 23 July, more than 2,000 Israelis from the religious right – mostly settlers led by the national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir – stormed the area...

On 23 July, more than 2,000 Israelis from the religious right stormed the area. Photograph: Ilia Yefimovich/AFP/Getty Images

Jordan

Jerusalem’s most important Muslim religious site facing ‘imminent’ threat of Israeli takeover, says Jordan

Country convenes emergency meeting of ministers from Arab and Islamic world, fearing such a move could ‘trigger a religious conflict’

Jordan is convening an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from the Arab and Islamic world over what it says is an “imminent” threat of an Israeli takeover of the most important Muslim site in Jerusalem, with the potential to “trigger a religious conflict”.

The meeting on Wednesday – and the Jordanian warning – follow an escalating pattern of government-backed incursions by Jewish religious extremists on the compound around al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock, in violation of a status quo treaty overseen by Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy, by which only Muslims can pray at the site.

On 23 July, more than 2,000 Israelis from the religious right – mostly settlers led by the national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir – stormed the area, known to Jews as the Temple Mount. They prayed and performed rituals all around the compound in what Jordanian officials said was the worst violation in modern history.

Amman has also been alarmed at a recent recruitment drive for religious Jews for a special Temple Mount police unit, and is braced for more direct challenges to traditional Jordanian custodianship by extremist Israeli leaders in the major Jewish holidays in September. This year, those holidays will come amid an intense election campaign, in which the far-right coalition of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will be fighting for survival.

“This is a constant threat, a dangerous threat that we’re trying to counter in every tool that we have possible,” Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, told the Guardian. “We warn that tampering with the status quo … could trigger a religious conflict that will reverberate beyond Palestine and Jordan into the whole Muslim world.”

Safadi, who will host Wednesday’s emergency meeting, bringing together his counterparts from Arab League countries, as well as Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan, said it was “something that the whole international community should be aware of. Jerusalem is a tinderbox.

“We’re trying to explain the danger. We’re protesting legally. We are trying to create awareness of the imminent danger in the continuation of those Israeli measures.”

Jordan’s custodianship of al-Aqsa compound dates back to Ottoman times, and the status quo encompassing the city’s religious sites was enshrined in the 1878 Treaty of Berlin. The Hashemite kingdom’s oversight in Jerusalem was expanded to cover Christian holy sites in the 20th century, and its custodianship was reaffirmed after the 1967 war, and in the 1994 Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty.

Infringement by Jewish extremists... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/04/jordan-convenes-emergency-meeting-israel-religious-conflict-jerusalem

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"The olive tree is not just the modern symbol of the Palestinians and their deep roots in the soil of their land, it was always central to their history and economy..." William Dalrymple

William Dalrymple

@DalrympleWill

 

The olive tree is not just the modern symbol of the Palestinians and their deep roots in the soil of their land, it was always central to their history and economy. 

 

Along with cotton, which the Palestinians exported to Marseilles, olive oil and olive soap were major export industries in the early Ottoman period, a reflection of the astonishing number amount of olive trees growing between Jerusalem and Nablus. 

 

The trees were divided into rumani- the big, old spreading ones that dated back to Byzantine times and so were most fruiful- and the more youthful islami ones, those planted under Muslim rule, so younger and therefore less productive and taxed at a lower rate. 

 

Camels carried the oil into town, each one carrying a load of four vessels, while soap was carried out.  The Ottomans taxed camels moving in both directions. 

 

There were at least twelve olive oil soap factories operating in Jerusalem under the Mamluks. 

 

Under early Ottoman rule, the Jerusalem economy greatly enlarged, well-organised guilds were set up and yet more soap factories were built. 

 

The Janisseries in the Citadel and the 'ulama of the al-Aqsa were both heavily invested in the trade. 

 

By the 18thC, the making of olive oil soap had partly migrated to Nablus, which along with Acre became the richest city in the region, largely on the proceeds.

 https://x.com/DalrympleWill/status/2049442291086147772/photo/1

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‘A gift that cannot be sold’: the Palestinian family fighting to save their West Bank farm- For more than three decades, the Nassars have battled Israeli efforts to reclassify their property as ‘state land’

Daoud Nassar walks on his family’s farm near Nahalin in the occupied West Bank, with Israeli settlements in the background. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/29/palestinian-family-fighting-save-west-bank-farm-israel-settlers

Lorenzo Tondo and Sufian Taha in Wadi Salem

Mon 29 Dec 2025

In 1916, Daher Nassar, a Christian Palestinian farmer living south of Bethlehem, made a move considered more than unusual at the time. He bought a 42-hectare stretch of farmland on the slopes and valleys of Wadi Salem, and formally registered the purchase with the Ottoman authorities, who then ruled the region.

A few years later, after transferring the title to his son, Nassar did something even more extraordinary. He re-registered the deed under each successive administration – the British mandate, then the Jordanian government, and finally, after 1967, under Israeli occupation.

Today, that ageing, yellowing document is one of the family’s few shields against the loss of their land – a plot that lies near the town of Nahalin in the so-called Area C of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, coveted by settlers and by far-right Israeli ministers eager to see it annexed. In 1991, the Israeli authorities began a legal battle to declare the Nassar family’s farm Israeli “state land”, a precursor to claiming it for occupation.

“I received this land as a gift,” says Daoud Nassar, 55, Daher’s grandchild, who now owns the farm with his family. “My grandfather gave it to my father, who gave it to me and to my brothers and sisters, and we intend to pass it on to our children, and to their children after them. For us Palestinians, the land is a gift – and a gift cannot be sold or given away.”

Nestled in the olive-clad hills of the Judean desert, the Nassar farm survives without direct access to water or electricity – both were cut off by Israeli settlers in 1991 – with the family living partly in underground natural caves. It is the only place they are able to live, because since 1967 when the land was designed part of Area C, under full Israeli military and civil control, any structure – permanent or temporary – requires an Israeli permit. Almost none are granted.

In this way, the family resists Israeli occupation while hemmed in by five illegal settler outposts – one built right up against its boundary – and locked in a 34-year legal battle with the army, forced to water each olive tree by hand, carrying two glasses of water at a time.

To date, the legal battle between the Nassar family and the Israeli government is one of the longest-running cases in the history of the West Bank, and the longest among those still pending.

“Under Ottoman reign, Palestinian farmers and land owners did not register many of the lands, or reported reduced areas in order to avoid taxes, relying instead on oral traditions and local village records,” says Sliman Shaheen, a legal expert in land-related and demolition cases in the West Bank... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/29/palestinian-family-fighting-save-west-bank-farm-israel-settlers

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Nassar inside a natural cave on his family’s farm that has been converted into a small chapel, where mass is celebrated every Sunday.

Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian

Arab Christian Bedouin woman from the town of Al-Karak, Ottoman Empire, 1898... before WWII shaped Western imposed borders & bigotry that ended freedom & respect for Arabs in The Holy Land

Arab Christian Bedouin woman from the town of Al-Karak, Ottoman Empire, 1898.

Old photos of Palestine c 1885 by Cecil Shadbolt, published in his book "Walks in Palestine"

The Ecce Homo Arch in the Via Dolorosa Jerusalem, photographed c 1885 by Cecil Shadbolt, published in his book "Walks in Palestine"

The Garden of Gethsemane photographed c 1885 by Cecil Shadbolt, published in his book "Walks in Palestine"

The Valley of Jehoshaphat and the Mount of Olives photographed c 1885 by Cecil Shadbolt, published in his book "Walks in Palestine"

This beautiful book is printed on India paper in addition of 100 and is exquisitely illustrated with 24 photogravures from photographs by Cecil V. Shadbolt printed by the partnership of Annan & Swan, a photoengraving firm set up by James Craig Annan and Donald Swan in London in 1885. https://photogravure.com/collection/?artist=All&portfolio=Walks%20in%20Palestine&keywords=

 

Bethlehem photographed c 1885 by Cecil Shadbolt, published in his book "Walks in Palestine"

The Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem photographed c 1885 by Cecil Shadbolt, published in his book "Walks in Palestine"

Jaffa, the Ancient Joppa  photographed c 1885 by Cecil Shadbolt, published in his book "Walks in Palestine"

The Mount of Temptation near Jericho photographed c 1885 by Cecil Shadbolt, published in his book "Walks in Palestine"

The Jordan photographed c 1885 by Cecil Shadbolt, published in his book "Walks in Palestine"

 

 

 

Arts & Culture Rescuing the Memory: Gaza's Archaeological Treasures Between Exile and Resilience... The exhibit “Treasures Saved from Gaza – 5,000 Years of History,” organized by the Institut de Monde Arab (IMA) in Paris, constitutes a major cultural event in many respects. It not only highlights an exceptional archaeological heritage but also speaks to the necessity to protect cultural heritage in conflict zones through the example of Gaza, an emblematic region both by its history and the trials it is going through today.

 

Arts & Culture

Rescuing the Memory: Gaza's Archaeological Treasures Between Exile and Resilience

Date: 

May 02 2025

Author: 

Sélim Abi Kheir

The exhibit “Treasures Saved from Gaza – 5,000 Years of History,” organized by the Institut de Monde Arab (IMA) in Paris, constitutes a major cultural event in many respects. It not only highlights an exceptional archaeological heritage but also speaks to the necessity to protect cultural heritage in conflict zones through the example of Gaza, an emblematic region both by its history and the trials it is going through today. 

A Dive Into 5,000 Years of History 

Since antiquity, Gaza has been an intersection of civilizations. Situated on a strategic commercial route between Asia, Africa, and Europe, it was influenced by a number of cultures – Egyptian, Philistine, Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, and Ottoman. This rich history is reflected in the objects presented by the IMA, which for the most part come from excavations performed in 1990 and 2000 in the Gaza Strip. 

The exhibit includes around 130 objects selected from a larger collection of 529 pieces belonging to the Palestinian National Authority, which have been kept at the Museum of Art History of Geneva (MAH) since 2007. The objects, ranging from the Bronze Age to the Ottoman Empire, include amphorae, oil lamps, funerary steles, votive figurines, jewels, and an exceptional mosaic from the Byzantine Empire found in Abu Baraqeh. Their diversity testifies to the cultural and religious importance of Gaza through the ages. 

The Treasures “Saved” and Sheltered  

What makes this exhibit particularly poignant is its context. The objects presented have never been able to return to Gaza because of the blockade and successive conflicts. They are kept in Switzerland, at the MAH, which has allowed them to avoid destruction. A large number of archaeological sites in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed in recent years. UNESCO has reported that since 2023, there have been attacks on over 69 cultural sites in Gaza, including a museum, religious sites, and historical buildings. 

 

Marble Statue of Aphrodite on display at the IMA

In this sense, the exhibit does more than simply display ancient artifacts: it is an act of cultural resistance, a reminder of the value of heritage in times of war. The exhibition also features a dedicated space for this issue, with a map of the bombings that have affected heritage sites, as well as rare historical photographs of Gaza in the early 20th century from the collection of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem. 

 

 Hellenistic and Roman artifacts from Gaza on display at the IMA

A Tribute to Memory and Resilience 

For Jack Lang, president of IMA, this exhibit is a tribute not only to the memory and the resilience of the people of Gaza. It serves as a reminder that Gaza, long before becoming a symbol of conflict, was a place of life, exchange, art, and spirituality. By restoring visibility to this glorious past, the exhibit also seeks to revive a collective awareness of the importance of safeguarding world heritage, wherever it may be found. 

A Cultural and Educational Experience... READ MORE https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1657291

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Palestinians from Jaffa city enjoy a seaside cafe on the seashore of their city circa 1895 (- 1916) during the Ottoman era.

Palestinians from Jaffa city on the seashore of their city sometime circa 1895 - 1916 during the Ottoman era.

From Palestine, a couple on their wedding day, Ramallah in 1928: The Wedding of Shiblie Oudie Shiblie to Jalileh Saleh Shilbie (Samieh)

From Palestine, a couple in the studio on their wedding day, Ramallah in 1928. 

Wedding of Shiblie Oudie Shiblie to Jalileh Saleh Shilbie (Samieh)

تاريخ الدولة العثمانية 

Ottoman Empire

 https://afrppreservationproject.org/photos/wedding-of-shiblie-oudie-shiblie-to-jalileh-saleh-shilbie-samieh/

Photograph shows a woman in a traditional embroidered Palestinian dress and headdress, standing on balcony on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem, Palestine. Probable date of photo 1918

Photograph shows a woman in a traditional embroidered Palestinian dress and headdress, standing on balcony on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem.

Title and date from data provided by the Bain News Service on the negative. Other date on negative: 8/28/29 probably reflects later date of publication by Bain.

Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).

Date

01/01/1918