Jerusalem: Its Identity, History, and Hashemite Custodianship - The Teacher's Message on World Teacher's Day

Author: Abdullah Tawfiq Kanaan

The teacher is the foundation of the educational process in societies, both ancient and modern. They are bearers of a sacred profession and heirs of the prophets; through them, nations advance and civilizations flourish. They spread goodness in society, instill values, and nurture generations with ethics, thought, culture, and knowledge. The image of good teachers will remain in all our memories as an integral part of our intellectual and cultural formation, and a model we always aspire to emulate. Today, we celebrate Teacher's Day, which was established by UNESCO in 1966 under the slogan "Supporting Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting This Profession and Improving Its Conditions and Shaping Our Future."

On Teacher's Day, we remember the daily suffering of the Palestinian teacher who has been martyred, arrested, and whose homes, schools, and universities have been destroyed by the Israeli occupation. They are caught between the hammer of the law prohibiting the employment of graduates from Palestinian higher education institutions in the "Israeli education system," especially in schools affiliated with the occupation's Ministry of Education and municipality, and the anvil of the ban on renewing crossing permits for a large number of Palestinian teachers. This is the reality of the Palestinian teacher's life throughout decades of occupation. This teacher is considered the most resilient and steadfast model for their sacred profession, especially under the weight of a brutal occupation that does not recognize international law, rights, or human dignity.

The Royal Commission for Jerusalem, while expressing pride and admiration for every teacher in our homeland and nation who carries the trust of knowledge, affirms that Jerusalem and Palestine are their cause, and that the Hashemite guardianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and its historical Arab identity, and raising awareness of what it is subjected to from occupation, is a duty incumbent upon every bearer of a message. It will remain in the conscience of every free person in the world until its people attain their historical and legitimate rights to establish the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on the borders of 1967.

On Teacher's Day, the committee emphasizes that the Palestinian cause is not just an educational option, but a national, patriotic, and humanitarian duty. We reiterate the call for the necessity of establishing a mandatory curriculum to be taught in schools and universities, which reinforces awareness and fortifies generations with facts and emphasizes the status of Jerusalem in the nation's consciousness, under the Hashemite guardianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. The royal directives, initiatives, and discussion papers have supported education, ensuring that this education remains the first line of defense in preserving identity and protecting it from Judaization, Israelization, and Arabization. Jordan, as a people and leadership, will remain the historical guardian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, supporting our people in Palestine and Jerusalem, no matter the cost and the sacrifices involved.