Jabel Mukaber

Jabel Mukaber (Arabic: جبل مكبر‎) (Hebrew: ג'בל מוכאבר‎) is a predominantly Arab neighborhood in southern East Jerusalem. It is bordered by Armon HaNetziv^[1] to the west, Abu Tor and Silwan to the north and Sur Baher to the south. Jabel Mukaber has a population of 14,000.^[1]

History

According to local legend, Jabel Mukaber is named after Umar ibn al-Khattab, a disciple of Muhammad and the second caliph of the Islamic Caliphate, who cried Allahu Akbar at this site. During the British Mandate, the offices of the British High Commissioner, the representative of British imperial rule in Palestine were located in Jabel Mukaber.^[2] During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood battled Jewish forces in the neighborhood.^[3] Jabel Mukaber and other Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem were captured and annexed by Jordan. Since the 1967 war, Jabel Mukaber has been under the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem municipality.^[4]

Demography

Many residents of Jabel Mukaber rejected Israeli citizenship to demonstrate their solidarity with Palestinians in the West Bank,^[4] but they are considered permanent residents. As holders of blue identity cards, they have wide freedom of movement within Israel, and have access to health care, unemployment and other benefits.^[5][4]

The construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier has divided Jabel Mukaber in half and left some neighborhood residents on the West Bank side of the wall, meaning that they hold orange IDs instead of blue IDs, and cannot cross into Israel itself.^[6] Running through the centre of the neighbourhood, the barrier often separates members of the same family from one another, interrupting normal family life.^[6] Jabel Mukaber is under-budgeted for municipal services, leading to sewage blockages in parts of the neighborhood and a shortage of classrooms.^[7]

Arab-Israeli conflict

Armon HaNetziv was established in 1970 in close proximity to Jabel Mukaber during the upswing of building that followed the Six-Day War.^[5] When the intifada began, the mood changed. Since then, Jabel Mukaber has been the scene of numerous demonstrations, protests and riots in support of the Palestinian cause.^[8][9][10]

Two residents of Jabel Mukaber were convicted for transporting a suicide bomber from Bethlehem who perpetrated the Pat Junction Bus Bombing in 2002, killing 19 people and wounding over 74. In 2006, a Jabel Mukaber resident opened fire on Israeli policemen and security guards injuring one of them before he was shot dead.^[11] The perpetrator of the 2008 Mercaz HaRav massacre, Alaa Abu Dhein, was from Jabel Mukaber.^[12] Following the attack, in which eight high school students were killed, the residents of Jabel Mukaber erected a mourners' tent for him.^[13] Israeli protesters tried to break through police barricades outside Jabel Mukaber, resulting in the arrest of 13 protesters.^[10] In 2008, a Jabel Mukaber resident rammed a group of Israelis with his car.^[14]

Political aspirations

Jabel Mukaber, like other Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem lying outside of the Old City, could become part of the capital of a proposed Palestinian state,^[15][16] although Jabel Mukaber has been branded a hotbed of terrorism due to militant activity and support for terrorism among some of residents.^[17][18]

Landmarks

A Tolerance Monument sculpted by Czesław Dźwigaj in collaboration with Michal Kubiak is situated on a hill marking the divide between Jewish Armon HaNetziv and Arab Jabel Mukaber, standing opposite the United Nations headquarters in Jerusalem in a park near Goldman Promenade. Unveiled in Jerusalem in 2008, it was funded by Polish businessman Aleksander Gudzowaty as a symbol to promote peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.^[19]

See also

• List of places in Jerusalem
• List of East Jerusalem locations

References