Activists Convene in Madaba to Show Solidarity With Occupied Jerusalem

Oct. 25--AMMAN -- Hundreds of activists flocked to Madaba on Friday in answer to a call by the Jordan Engineers Association (JEA), which organised the trip to show solidarity with occupied Jerusalem, according to association officials.

The journey began at the JEA headquarters in Amman and ended in Siyagha (Mount Nebo), which overlooks the occupied city.

Activists were provided with telescopes to allow them to look at the city, currently undergoing a Judaisation campaign by Israeli authorities.

"We want to ignite the deeply entrenched feelings of solidarity with Jerusalem among Jordanians," JEA President Abdullah Obeidat, told some 1,000 people, including women and children.

"Al Aqsa Mosque and the city of Jerusalem are suffering under occupation," he said, calling on the public to "make their voices heard" in support of Al Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam.

Israel recently demolished tens of houses belonging to Palestinians in Jerusalem on grounds that they were built without permits.

Palestinians say obtaining permits is impossible and insist the measures are part of a campaign by authorities to empty the city of its original Arab inhabitants.

Activists at the professional associations have been at the forefront of several campaigns in solidarity with Jerusalem following a growing number of reports about Israel's agenda to alter the city's demographics and target Islamic and Christian religious sites.

Bader Nasser, president of the JEA committee on Jerusalem, said the panel members have vowed to continue public activities in support of Jerusalem as long as the Israeli campaign against the city continues.

"What we want from the Arab nation is to dig deep to find needed strength to defend Al Aqsa," he said at the gathering.

During the one-hour event, activists shouted anti-Israeli slogans and urged Palestinian factions to unite in order to protect the city from further harm.

Arab East Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque lie at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the city's future is scheduled to be discussed as part of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Israel has been excavating near the Haram Al Sharif compound since it occupied Jerusalem in the 1967 war.

In September 2005, Israel unveiled a tourist centre at the site near the compound that led to widespread protests throughout the Palestinian territories.

In September 2000, then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the mosque compound during former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak's term of office.

The move infuriated the Palestinians and created the spark which ignited the current Intifada, referred to as Al Aqsa Intifada.

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