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Creation of the Western Wall Plaza in 1967 Was Necessary and Legal

(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Nathaniel Belmont and Lenny Ben-David - Articles published by Reuters and the New Yorker in June 2017 described the demolition of the Mughrabi (Moroccan) Quarter of Jerusalem and the eviction of the approximately 650 Arab inhabitants which took place on June 10, 1967, three days after Jerusalem's reunification. While these articles blame Israel, in reality, there is evidence that the neighborhood's days were numbered. Together with the adjacent Jewish Quarter, which had been demolished by the Jordanians, both quarters were nothing more than decaying slums built on rubble. Reuters itself describes the Mughrabi Quarter as "ramshackle." In 1965 and 1966, prior to the war, some 1,000 Arabs were relocated by the Jordanian administration - some by force - from the Jewish Quarter to the newly created Shuafat refugee camp, by order of Jordan's then-prime minister Wasfi Al-Tal. Israel follows legal norms when appropriating private property for public use and public safety - offering due compensation. A 1968 letter from former residents of the Mughrabi Quarter affirms that many residents received compensation. Jordan failed to recognize this basic legal norm in 1949 when it razed the Jewish Quarter, expelled its residents, and looted and desecrated 58 synagogues, all without compensation. From a legal standpoint, the demolition of the Mughrabi Quarter and relocation of its inhabitants was justified and necessary by any acceptable standard to ensure public safety and security and to provide tens of thousands of worshippers with a safe, sanitary passage to Judaism's most holy site, and sufficient public space to worship there. Nathaniel Belmont, an intern at the Jerusalem Center, is a student at the University of Western Ontario. Lenny Ben-David, a former Deputy Chief of Mission at Israel's Embassy in Washington, is Director of Publications at the Jerusalem Center.
2017-07-13 00:00:00
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