October is the month of sacrifices for Palestine and Jerusalem

Writer: Abdullah Tawfiq Kanaan

The month of October, over the decades of colonization and occupation of Palestine and Jerusalem, is considered a historical memory and a record of events that reflect the extent of the malicious plans that Palestine was exposed to, targeting its identity, history and civilization. At the same time, the memory of this great month preserves events that demonstrate the steadfastness of the steadfastness and bond of its people in defense and struggle for their freedom and rights.

Among the painful and unjust historical milestones was the steps taken by British colonialism that paved the way for the Israeli occupation later. What happened in 1920 AD, when Herbert Samuel, the British High Commissioner, allowed the Jews to control the Palestinian lands through fraud and deception. In 1930 AD, Britain announced the issuance of the White Paper (the Bassfield White Paper), named after the British Colonial Secretary at the time, Sidney Webb Bassfield. Which included addressing the issue of Jewish immigration to Palestine and the work of the Jewish Agency, which are colonial steps that had a clear role in supporting Zionist plans later to occupy Palestine.

In the same direction, this month’s events were painful during the Zionist guerrilla war and the Israeli occupation of Palestine. In 1956 AD, the Zionist gangs carried out the Kafr Qasim massacre (located south of Tulkarm district), which resulted in the martyrdom of 49 Palestinians, including children, women and the elderly. In 1990 AD, there was the massacre of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, in which 30 worshipers were martyred and more than 150 wounded, and it was carried out by the alleged Temple groups and with the protection of the Israeli occupation police and army. In October 2023 AD, the Israeli occupation carried out a war of genocide and displacement against our people in the Gaza Strip, and expanded the aggression in the West Bank, including the city of Jerusalem, which resulted in millions of displaced persons and hundreds of thousands of martyrs, wounded, prisoners and missing persons.

Despite the occupation's massacres and plans that occurred in the month of October, which were and still are aimed at annihilating and displacing the Palestinian people and obliterating their identity, history, and rights, the month of October witnessed stations of struggle and steadfastness that reflected the will for freedom of the Palestinian people, the nation, and all free people in the world. In the year 1187 AD was the liberation of Jerusalem by Commander Saladin al-Ayyubi, and in 1933 AD there were protests and demonstrations against British colonialism in all cities and towns. The year 1937-1939 AD was the second phase of the Great Palestinian Revolution, and in 1973 AD was the Ramadan War, which achieved a field and strategic victory over the occupation and its expansionist plans in the region. In the same year 1973 AD, the Arabs also used oil as a weapon for global pressure in support of Palestine and its just cause.

The Royal Commission for Jerusalem Affairs shows that the previous historical review of some of the historical milestones in the month of October related to Palestine and Jerusalem, shows that the plans of the Israeli occupation and its approach based on Judaization, Israelization and Hebrewization have always been and will continue to be confronted by the will of steadfastness and struggle, which was embodied by the Palestinian people in the Al-Aqsa uprising and flood, which confirms that the legitimate historical rights of the Palestinian people, approved by the United Nations, do not disappear or fall under the statute of limitations, no matter how long the oppression lasts. The occupation, its power, and the support and unjust bias it receives, represented by the policy of double standards, are destined to disappear and disappear. The nation will not remain weak forever, and generations will continue to struggle for their identity and rights.

The Jordanian people and the leadership of the Hashemite Custodian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem will remain the authentic historical support for our people in Palestine and Jerusalem, whatever the cost and the amount of sacrifices.

* Secretary General of the Royal Commission for Jerusalem Affairs