Jews in the Jewish Quarter straining to see the nearby Western Wall, separated by the “ramshackle” Mughrabi Quarter, circa 1929. (Library of Congress)

Institute for Contemporary Affairs Founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation

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.

Articles published by Reuters2 and the New Yorker on June 6, 2017, and June 9, 2017, respectively, described the demolition of the Mughrabi, or 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. The New Yorker’s article, entitled “Reframing the 1967 War,”3 was written by Yousef Munayyer, director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights. The article deems the actions, necessary to create an area for Jewish worshippers, to be a “war crime,” claiming the deliberate destruction of buildings in occupied territory to be a violation of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention. The article also criticizes David Rubinger’s iconic Paratroopers at the Western Wall photo as reflective of Israeli ignorance of these allegedly heinous acts, claiming it “showcases the Zionist vision while omitting the Palestinians in its midst.”4 Ironically, it is Munayyer himself who, whether by design or unknowingly, omits crucial information, failing to see the broader picture.

These articles blame Israel for the demise of the Mughrabi Quarter when, in reality, there is evidence showing that, prior to the 1967 war and before Israel’s taking control of east Jerusalem, 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. According to Israel’s then-ambassador to the UN, Yosef Tekoah, the Mughrabi Quarter was decrepit, suffering from conditions which “no modern civilized government or municipal administration would have tolerated.”5 Reuters itself describes it as “ramshackle.”6

In 1965 and 1966, prior to the war, approximately 1,000 Arabs were relocated – some by force – by the Jordanian administration from the Jewish Quarter to the newly created Shuafat refugee camp, by order of Jordan’s then-prime minister, Wasfi Al-Tal.8 Sources reported that Tal called for a transfer of the residents “to the new place allotted to them for residence (Shuafat) … The Jerusalem Municipality shall demolish all the tumbledown dwelling of the said quarter after their evacuation.”9 The Mughrabi Quarter was in a comparable state.

Munayyer’s accusation of “war crimes” perpetrated by Israel ignores legal norms appropriating private property for public use and public safety – provided due compensation is paid.12 Ironically, it is Jordan that failed to recognize this basic legal norm in 1949, razing the Jewish Quarter, expelling its residents, and looting and desecrating 58 synagogues, all without compensation.13

Jordan’s 1948 actions stand in stark contrast to Israel’s actions in 1967. Regarding compensation, a 1968 letter from former residents of the Mughrabi Quarter affirms that many residents received compensation.14

During the 1948-1967 period, Jewish access to the shrine was totally banned; but the pre-1948 situation was hardly tolerable for Jewish worshippers. After navigating through a labyrinth of potentially dangerous, narrow alleyways, Jews wishing to pray at the Wall found themselves in a cramped area of approximately 120 square meters.15 (In contrast, the Al Aqsa complex on the Temple Mount covers 144,000 square meters.) Visitors in the pre-1948 era encountered broken stones, sewage, animals (and the refuse they left behind), and Mughrabi Quarter residents who “had a tendency to harass Jewish worshipers.”16

Immediately after the 1967 war, Jerusalem’s Mayor Teddy Kollek saw that the area near the Western Wall could not contain the tens of thousands of visitors expected for the June 13, 1967, Shavuot holiday. Kollek and military officers gave the order to demolish the area.17 The “first job was to demolish a toilet that was built up against the Western Wall,” according to Haaretz. “You come to a place like this, and you see a stench in the wall,” one worker reported. “We were surprised by it.”18

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.

The misleading allegations by Reuters and the New Yorker on the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War appear to have ignored and disregarded crucial facts surrounding the situation of the Mughrabi quarter, its history, and the appalling state of dilapidation and ruin that existed during the pre-1967 Jordanian administration. It may not be a coincidence that the allegations come at the same time as Palestinian and UNESCO challenges to Jewish ties to Jerusalem and Hebron.

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Notes