Book sheds light on the Israeli role in destructions in Al-Quds
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The book depicts that "Israel" planned the "destruction" of Al-Quds' historic Mughrabi Neighborhood at the base of the Western Wall after the 1967 Six-Day War but tried to conceal it.
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French historian Vincent Lemire
According to a book published on Friday, "Israel" planned the "destruction" of al-Quds' historic Mughrabi Neighborhood at the base of the Western Wall after the 1967 Six-Day War but tried to conceal it.
Due to the sensitive nature of the Holy City of Al-Quds, its author, French historian Vincent Lemire, expects his book "In the Shadow of the Wall: The Life and Death of the Mughrabi Quarter of Jerusalem" to elicit controversy.
Lemire, who has written several books on Al-Quds' history, stated that he drew material for his work, which was published by Le Seuil in Paris, from local archives, as well as Ottoman and French archives.
The Western Wall plaza is a large esplanade of polished stone that extends from the ancient wall, which according to Jewish claims, is the only surviving structure of the Second Temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray.
However, prior to the Six-Day War, when Jordan was in control of east Al-Quds, including the old-walled city, there was no esplanade at the base of the wall.
Instead, there was a Muslim neighborhood of about 135 homes that Emperor Saladin established in the 12th century and where iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat lived for a time during his youth.
Lemire, Director of the French Research Center in Al-Quds, traces the area's history in a book due to be translated into English later this year by Stanford University Press.
Definitive proof of Israeli premeditation
The commonly told story about the fate of Al-Quds' Mughrabi quarter is that immediately after "Israel" captured the Old City, a group of 15 private Jewish contractors destroyed the neighborhood to make space for the Western Wall plaza.
The role played by then-mayor of occupied Al-Quds Teddy Kollek in the operation has previously been reported by media outlets.
Lemire, on the other hand, told AFP that his book provides "definitive, written proof on the premeditation, planning, and coordination of this operation."
He cites minutes from a meeting on June 9, 1967, between Kollek and the commander in charge of Al-Quds, just 36 hours before the neighborhood was demolished.
"One of the items on the agenda is the destruction of the Mughrabi Quarter," Lemire said.
He also cited an internal foreign ministry note from the same day that prepared talking points to explain the neighborhood's destruction, which he described as "designed to make people believe they were slums and dangerous buildings."
He claimed to have discovered a note in Al-Quds municipality's archives referencing the need to remove rubble from the area "on the order of the military command."
International response
Following the establishment of "Israel" in 1948, France, the colonial power in most of North Africa at the time was a financial supporter of the Mughrabi quarter.
According to Lemire, this was part of a larger regional strategy to gain favor among North African Muslims "to counter the rise of the independence movement in Algeria," which was then a French colony.
However, following Algeria's independence in 1962, France "abandoned" the Mughrabi quarter and remained silent, as did several other nations, while "Israel" destroyed the area.
Jordan, a bitter Israeli rival who had just lost control of east Al-Quds, also said nothing, according to Lemire.
"My intuition as a historian is that there was an implicit agreement between the Israelis and the Jordanians," he told AFP.
Jordan was permitted to retain control of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which is located above the Western Wall and is Islam's third holiest site, as a "post-war concession," according to Lemire.
Given the sensitivity surrounding Al-Quds' holy sites and the "fact that this story is unpleasant for everyone," Lemire told AFP that he expected some "hostile" reactions to his book. But he felt compelled to write about a neighborhood with no recorded history.
"With this book, there's the beginning of a history. It's a start," he said.
