It's official. I've moved- * gasp* well over 8 months ago now- to wordpress which is a easier to use.
All the blogs and comments have been moved across and the official site for all my freelance work is now: http://arwafreelance.wordpress.com/
I also recently started blogging/dumping interesting stuff at: http://arwaaburawa.wordpress.com/
Just thought I'd let people know.
Western World's Climate Debt to the Poor
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But while rich nations are busy negotiating new targets and cuts in CO2 emissions, what is critically missing from the talks is a real commitment to helping developing nations cope with climate change. Although rich, industrialized countries are the biggest contributors to global warming, is it the poorest nations who suffer its worst effects. As a result, the Kyoto protocol holds rich countries legally responsible for providing the financial support to help developing countries adapt to and mitigate climate change. Currently, this is not happening. According to the Guardian (UK), over the last seven years developing countries received only 10% of what was promised them by rich countries to tackle climate change and this trend looks set to continue if there are no clear targets set or enforcements put in place. Developing nations are arguing that the money currently provided does not cover the cost of dealing with climate change and this will have to change before an agreement can be reached in Copenhagen, this December. Denying Climate Aid In a warming planet, developing nations face increased flooding due to rising sea levels, droughts and the spread of diseases due to rising temperatures, as well as conflict over dwindling resources, food shortages and even disappearing islands. In March 2009, EU leaders gathered to discuss the kind of financial help the poorest nations would require in the lead up to Copenhagen, but failed to make any firm financial commitments. Tom Sharman, ActionAid's Climate Justice Coordinator, argued that the industrialized world was failing to address the most urgent needs of those developing nations on the front-line of climate impacts. He also noted that if “the governments are serious about a just solution to the climate crisis” then they would need to “start repaying their climate debts.” Gordon Brown, the UK Prime Minister, calculated that rich nations would need to contribute around US$100 billion each year to developing nations. On June 26, Brown said: “If we are to achieve an agreement in Copenhagen, I believe we must move the debate from a stand-off over hypothetical figures to active negotiation on real mitigation actions and real contributions.” Whilst such political leadership is admirable, the annual US$100b falls well below the US$267b that African nations proposed in April and the1% GDP from rich nations that the G77 is asking for. Even so, the G8 has reportedly accepted the need to “urgently and substantially” scale up their financial resources for mitigation and adaptation although firm commitments are, once again, still forthcoming. Repaying Climate Debt
A recent report by the World Bank also highlighted that four of the world's poorest nations top the list of countries at most risk of the main threats of climate change such as droughts, floods, storms, rising sea levels and greater uncertainty in agriculture. For example, Bangladesh which is already struggling with the devastating effects of cyclones and rising sea levels faces the highest risk of flooding with subsequent implications on its agriculture. In 2007, cyclone Sidr hit the coast of Bangladesh killing over 10,000 people whilst in May 2009, cyclone Aila killed over 300 people and made hundreds of thousands homeless. In fact, charity organization Oxfam International suggested that 26 million people across the world have already been displaced because of climate change. Global warming also raises the risk of epidemics and armed conflict in the developing world. According to Christian Aid, if temperatures keep rising more than 182 million people in sub-Saharan Africa could die due to diseases directly attributable to climate change by the end of the century. The International Institute for Sustainable Development also warned of the risk of violent conflict in the Middle East over dwindling water resources as well as in South Africa. The report explained that “Climate change–by redrawing global maps of water availability, food security, disease prevalence and coastal boundaries–could potentially increase forced migration, raise tensions and trigger new conflicts.” Hopes for a Fair Deal Climate change clearly has a detrimental impact on vulnerable nations, many of whom also face an uncertain future. Oxfam reports that: “Even if world leaders agree the strictest possible curbs on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the prospects are very bleak for hundreds of millions of people; most of them among the world’s poorest.” Facing such a cocktail of actual and potential risks and dangers, it seems reasonable that the poorest nations are asking for funds to help protect themselves. And considering that most of the damage has been done by the developed nations, it seems reasonable that they should make a fair and firm commitment to pay their 'climate debts'. Furthermore, without this aid it is difficult to see how developing countries can cope with climate change and also take the negotiations in Copenhagen this December seriously. As Tom Sharman of ActionAid remarked, without climate aid commitments for the poorest nations “there’s no chance of a deal in Copenhagen that will safeguard the livelihoods of all of the world’s people, for both today and tomorrow.” |
Spending My Shekels on Palestine
Before setting off to Jerusalem, I sat down and thought very carefully about how I wanted to spend my money in the city.
A lot of people who support the Palestinian cause are careful to boycott Israeli products but a lot fewer have the chance to actively support the Palestinian economy. Visiting Jerusalem would be my chance to throw in my shekels for the Palestinian economy so I want to make sure I get it right. Basically I need to avoid propping up Israeli businesses while I am there and although I am not spending thousands, if you put together all the money tourist spend it really does start to add up.
According to the Word Travel Market Global Trends forecast, by 2011 the number of tourist visiting the Middle East will have increased to 55 million people a year. These visitors are estimated to bring in revenue worth $51 billion to the region. Now, that is a lot of money. Spent in the right way a tourist's money could really help Palestinians, especially in Jerusalem where the economy is built on local businesses related to tourism. Hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and stalls are where Palestinian Jerusalemites make their living and so when a Muslim like me visits, I have a real opportunity to positively contribute to its economy.
How do I support the Palestinian economy?
“It's really quite simple,” answers Mrs. Salhab from the Hashimi Hotel in Jerusalem. “Don't buy from the Jewish Quarter or stay in Israeli hotels and look for Palestinians wherever you are staying or eating. The Arab Hotel Association is really useful as it has a list of Palestinian hotels to stay in across the whole of Palestine.”
The Arab Hotel Association was established in Jerusalem in 1962, to represent Palestinian hotels and currently has 56 members with over 3,700 guest rooms. It also runs a center to train Palestinian tourism professionals to help them compete in an increasingly competitive industry. The Alternative Tourism Group of Bethlehem has also joined forces with other Palestinian organizations to come up with 'A Code of Conduct' which gives advice on how to support “a just and responsible tourism in Palestine.” It has some great suggestions such as using local guides, transportation and spending more time getting to know Palestinians and their way of life.
Another place to support the economy is the particularly vibrant Muslim Quarter in Jerusalem's Old City. You can buy almost anything from here, safe in the knowledge that you are supporting the Palestinian community.
Jerusalem's Economy after the Intifada
The tourism industry is now buoyed by streams of pilgrims and optimism about its future. As recently as 2000, the industry suffered a severe downfall as political turmoil erupted in the country and visitors kept away due to fears for their safety. In the wake of the Al Aqsa Intifada in 2000, the tourism industry fell by the unprecedented amount of 50% and four years later reports were stating that the volume of tourism was still some 45% lower than pre-intifada levels.
“After 2000 things were very bad, and not for a few months but for a very long time,” reaffirms Sarah who runs a Muslim-friendly hotel in the Muslim Quarter. “It took a long time for things to get better and in consideration of the economic situation worldwide and Gaza, things are remarkably strong.”
Even so, reports by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted that the Israeli security measures such as checkpoints, curfews and roadblocks fragmented the Palestinian economy and pushed it further into decline. A report by the World Bank this June 2009 also found that recent post-conflict economic recovery has been hampered by Israeli restrictions on Palestinian trade and movement. As a result, Palestinians are becoming more rather than less dependent on foreign aid.
In these circumstances, it is more important than ever that Muslims are supporting the Palestinian economy sustainable by visiting the holy city and investing in its economy. As Sarah add, “Jerusalem sees so much of everyone but it would be great to see more Muslim visitor, especially from the UK and Europe, supporting the Palestinian economy.”
Muslim Fashion: A Leap of Faith?
Integrating faith and fashion is no easy task.
Just ask the millions of Muslims across the Western world, who endure endlessly frustrating trips to the mall, trying to find something- anything- to wear which is remotely suitable. Many complain that when it comes to fashion, the Western world just does not accommodate Muslims. In the last couple of years, however, things have begun to change in the West. Blogs, website and festivals on 'Muslim Fashion' are growing all the time and new Muslim designers are emerging, bringing with them new perspectives on fashion. But is 'wearing' your faith really a positive development?
Whilst many are happy to have more suitable clothing available, others fear that 'Muslim Fashion' is leading young Muslims down a path of senseless consumption and is actually distracting from real Islam. I spoke with two Muslim designers, Melih Kesmen and Sarah Elenany, to tackle this dilemma.
Tackling stereotypes with T-shirts
Melih Kesmen is probably not what you have in mind when you think of a fashion designer. A devout German Muslim of Turkish descent, he is a qualified graphic designer with a wife and young son named Isaak. Yet following 9/11 and the incident involving the offensive caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed printed in Denmark, Kesmen decided to launch StyleIslam. “After September 11th we as Muslims are always on the defensive,” he explains. “Bad articles in the media, propaganda all around the world- my idea was to find a positive way to tackle these media problems.”
StyleIslam is modern and stylish brand of men and women's clothing proudly declaring Muslim values such as the virtues of sunnah and du'a. In fact, it was the caricature incident which motivated Kesmen to design his first T-shirt emblazoned with the words 'I love my Prophet'. These proved to be extremely popular and encouraged Kesmen to launch his brand. “It would have been nice to have launched for a nicer reason but it was a start and as a Muslim you have to say allhamdulillah,” he admits.
Talking to Kesmen, it seems clear that StyleIslam is deeply rooted in Islamic values and was launched by a need to protect Islam rather than commercialize it. The brand, which is available to Muslims across the world, remains outspoken on issues concerning Muslims in the West. Amongst its women's range are items stating 'Hijab, My Right, My Choice, My Life'. Yet what sparked controversy was StyleIslam's now discontinued 'Jesus was a Muslim' t-shirt. “We didn't expect this to be such an issue because for us as Muslims it's nothing new; of course Jesus was a Muslim.”
Kesmen explains that the negative reaction is rooted in a lack of understanding of Islam and Muslims in the West. “There are many that have prejudices and bad views about Muslims and so they think we are being aggressive and say 'These Muslims want to provoke us'.” Kesmen was even contacted by people from Bavaria, in Germany where he lives, and threatened with the p
olice and more. “We want to build bridges, that is our real motivation and so we changed it to 'Jesus and Mohammed, brothers in faith' and since then we haven't had any complaints or radical reactions allhamdulillah!”Modesty in the mainstream
Luckily for Sarah Elenany, the 24-year old behind the label 'Elenany', the response to her modest clothing range has been less controversial. “From the target Muslim market the expression 'Finally!' keeps popping up. There’s also been good response from non-Muslims and I've had quite a few customers who aren't Muslim!” she says.
Elenany's new range was launched in May 2009 and includes modest clothing with bold graphic designs of two hands held up in prayer. Her background in engineering product design has also been useful as she explains that her collection “is born out a 'design for need' philosophy”. This means that it has been designed with the user, or young Muslim women and their needs, in mind.
The London-based fashion designer explained that the lack of suitable, modest clothing motivated her to launch the clothing range. “Being a young Muslim woman I always found it difficult to find clothing that I felt covered me up properly, which wasn’t the traditional abayas and jilbabs...There was a gap in the market for modest clothing for young people.” Despite, a clear understanding of the business side of the industry, Elenany insists that Muslim fashion is not about commercializing Islam. “I don’t think anything anyone ever does will water down Islam. And if Muslim fashion means bringing Islam into the mainstream- so people have the opportunity to better understand it- then I think that’s a good thing.”
Islamic Values in Fashion
Whilst many warn that Muslim fashion can be an unwelcome distraction from important Islamic values, both Elenany and StyleIslam have stuck to their beliefs. Sarah Elenany explained that while launching her collection was difficult, she was keen that her Islamic values were reflected in the manufacturing process: “I think getting the clothing manufactured will always be a major issue with any clothing label. For me, the process took a bit longer as I had to find a place to get them manufactured where, in line with Islamic ethics, I was confident the workers were getting a fair wage as well as working in good environmental conditions.”
StyleIslam was also adamant that those in need benefited from the commercial success of the label. 'Style and Sadaqa' is major feature of the website which states that 'StyleIslam is not only top street and casual wear for young people with an attitude, it also stands for helpfulness and brotherliness.' Kesmen added: “For me personally, I thought what is my responsibility? Well of course to communicate and convey the messages of Islam and the other thing is to earn your rizk [provision] to feed your family. After that we must help those who need our support and so every time you buy a t-shirt money goes to the orphan kids in Africa.”
Elenany and Kesmen were also keen to dispel any notions that they had fully resigned themselves to a Western way of life obsessed with image and fashion. Elenany insisted that Muslim fashion was not about beautifying yourself to attract other men but was a means of self-expression- something which is a legitimate part of Islam.
Kesmen also hoped that StyleIslam was building a bridge between the two worlds and inspiring young Muslims to embrace their Muslim roots. “Within the Western world, of course there are things that are not compatible with Islam such as drinking and naked women” remarked Kesmen. “But as intelligent people we should be able differentiate and so work with what we can do. As Islam says Allah is beautiful and loves beauty- what more inspiration do you need than that!”
Link to IslamOnline for the article
In Palestine, Plant Your Resistance
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Together with the support of locals, four environmentalists setup Bustan Qaraaqa or 'Tortoise Garden' in the summer of 2008. |
Israeli control of the West Bank's natural resources has led to stunted development in the region, with Palestinians increasingly dependent on Israel for their food and water. In response to this, a group of environmentalists in the West Bank have come with a unique and eco-friendly way to fight the Israeli occupation: they are growing their own food!
"More Independent, More Self-sufficient"
In the village of Beit Sahour on the outskirts of Bethlehem, UK environmentalists have decided that the best way to empower Palestinians is to teach them to grow their own food and utilize naturally available resources. Alice Gray, an environmental scientist who helped launch the project explained to IslamOnline.net, "All of these things, these dependences, are being used as weapons against the Palestinians. So our point is that the more independent, the more self-sufficient you are the less these things can be used as political tools."
Together with the support of locals, four environmentalists setup Bustan Qaraaqa or 'Tortoise Garden' in the summer of 2008. It is entirely independently run by these environmental activists who hope to pass it over to Palestinian management over the next five years. Since the project launched it has grown to include a guest house for volunteers and a 4-acre plot of land dedicated to experimentation with permaculture techniques.
Permaculture is a method of growing food using sustainable methods which advocate a close relationship between people and nature on ethical grounds. Gray, however, sees it in a very different light insisting that "Permaculture is a political act and the politics of it is in taking back control and moving away from dependence."
Whilst this new-found green concept may seem irrelevant for Palestinians struggling to put food on the plate, Gray also argues that it is these very people that the project is aimed at.
"In Palestine, [permaculture] is not just answering some ethical concept but also [fulfills] a dire need. We are always experimenting with lots of ways of growing vegetables and resource-use such as water conservation, but everything that we do we will do at low cost so that it is easily replicable for Palestinians."
Water Shortages
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| Water is one of the most contentious issues affecting Palestinians in the West Bank as it is inextricably linked to farming and food security. |
In fact, the project has already gathered a wide base of support ranging from Palestinians in refugee camps to the Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Yigal Palmor who reportedly said in The Jordan Times that such a project would be "very positive".
"Everyone we talk to, on all levels of society can relate to it as it's practical and needed," said Gray. "There is no Palestinian who has not experienced problems like water shortage, which we are trying to resolve."
Water is one of the most contentious issues affecting Palestinians in the West Bank as it is inextricably linked to farming and food security. A recent report by the World Bank found that Palestinians have the lowest access to fresh water in the region and 50% of households have reported quality problems in their drinking water supply. The World Bank also found that Israel has been over-extracting water from the West Bank's resources, reducing the amount left for Palestinians and increasing Palestinian dependency on Israeli water supplies.
The lack of water in the region also means that vast expanses of Palestinian West Bank farmland are currently drying out and unable to grow crops. The agricultural sector is already an important lifeline to the West Bank, which given better access to water could create more jobs, independent food security and even contribute to poverty reduction. The World Bank has estimated that the restrictions in agriculture and declining availability of agricultural water carry significant losses as high as 10 percent of GDP and 110,000 jobs (World Bank, April 2009, West Bank and Gaza: Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian Water Sector Development).
Water shortages are also pushing up the price of water for Palestinian farmers who in some cases are paying 12 times more for the same amount of water in comparison with Israeli farmers. Bustan Qaraaqa has been trying to resolve the issue of water shortages by encouraging farmers to build underground cisterns which catch and store large amounts of rainwater as well as incorporating sewage systems which don't use any water. "To make sure that people have access to water although they are being denied water infrastructure, you have to store every drop so nothing is wasted," asserted Gray.
Bustan Qaraaqa also practices what it preaches and has recently built a rainwater system to support its flourishing orchards of olive trees, figs, pomegranate and apricot as well as wheat. "The tree nursery is my great love!" beams Gray. "We collected all of the seeds ourselves.We didn't buy it from anyone; we just walked around and took it from the trees we saw and so far we have collected around 200 species."
Reconnecting with their Land
As well as tackling the dependence of Palestinians on Israel for food and water, Bustan Qaraaqa is also aiming to resist the occupation by reconnecting Palestinians with their lands.
Before the Nakba of 1948, many Palestinian communities were traditionally centered around agricultural farms which fostered a strong bond between people and their land. With the invasion of Zionist militias, however, many fled or were forced from these small villages into highly urbanized areas which undermined the importance of land and agricultural farming.
Ever since, Palestinians have been losing their lands to 'security zones', the Apartheid Wall as well as to illegal Israeli settlements scattered across the West Bank. "A real concern for modern Palestine is that people are being severed from their land, even their consciousness of it is disappearing as they are being shut into ghettos behind 8 meter walls," Gray explains.
"Part of the strategy of dispossession of the Palestinians is to kick them off their land and so part of resisting it must be to reconnect them with it again."
West Bank water access mired in politics
Arwa Aburawa, The Electronic Intifada, 26 May 2009
Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) is calling for the replacement of committees, which control the West Bank's water, for having "failed both sides" with "catastrophic" consequences.
"It is time to replace the failed mechanism of the Joint Water Committees established under Oslo [the peace accords of the mid-1990s], with an institution where Palestinians and Israelis are true partners in both water supply and management responsibilities," said Nader Khateeb, the Palestinian Director of FoEME. This denouncement follows a recently published World Bank report which also found that the Joint Water Committees (JWC) "fall short of the needs of the Palestinian people."
Established under the Oslo accords, the JWC was set up specifically to oversee management of shared aquifers and to ensure that the West Bank and Gaza Strip received extra water accorded to them under the agreement. Palestinians and Israelis were intended to be equal partners working towards integrated water management and infrastructure. In reality, however, the JWC simply entrenched Israeli influence over the West Bank's water resources and introduced a complex permit system that has severely limited water development projects ever since.
Alice Gray, a former water consultant in the West Bank, said that the most significant impact of the Israeli occupation on the Palestinian environment has been the suspension of development. "My job at the time was basically to tell people all the reasons that they probably wouldn't be able to implement their project," she explained. "The reason that they [projects] are not built is because in order to build them under the Oslo accord, you need permission from the Joint Water Committees -- that's one big problem already."
Out of $121 million worth of Palestinian projects presented to JWC in 2001-2008, only half (or $60.4 million) were approved and only a third have been implemented or begun implementation. The World Bank also reported that 106 water projects and 12 large-scale waste-water projects are still awaiting JWC approval, some of them since 1999.
These startling statistics are all the more unsettling when compared with Israeli-proposed projects for development in the West Bank, where all but one have been swiftly approved by the JWC. Decisions made by the JWC are in theory based on consensual agreement between the two parties, yet the World Bank's report openly acknowledges that Israel alone has virtual veto power on all water issues.
In the West Bank, when plans are being drawn up for vital water infrastructure such as waste-water plants, the only space that is generally available is in Area C (which is 60 percent of the West Bank and is under total Israeli military control). So finding enough land that is at an "acceptable" distance from walls, checkpoints and even future Israeli settlements is another obstacle that projects need to overcome. Even when this condition is met, other complications with Israeli settlements arise.
Water consultant Alice Gray said, "When the Palestinians go to the Israeli authorities to ask for a permit to build a sewage treatment plant for their town, the Israelis say sure, but you also have to network and treat the sewage of the Israeli settlements."
She added, "The Palestinian position then generally would be no, they are not happy with that because if you build infrastructure for settlements then you are contributing to their entrenchment -- it's like admitting that they have a right to be there. So politically it's a nightmare."
Overcoming these constraints has proven so difficult that only one in seven proposed waste-water treatment plants is actually operational, and consequently only 31 percent of Palestinians are connected to a sewage network.
The underdevelopment of the West Bank's water infrastructure has a direct impact on the daily lives of Palestinians who face high costs and low quality water resources. Overall, Palestinians spend around eight percent of household expenditure on water, which is twice the globally-accepted standard. In addition, the poorest spend up to one-sixth of their household budget or more on providing clean water for their family.
By regional standards Palestinians have among the lowest access to fresh water, forcing Palestinian communities to engage in unlicensed drilling simply to obtain drinking water. The Israeli Water Authority has used its de facto role as regulator to prevent Palestinians drilling for water, despite growing demand from Palestinian consumers. Meanwhile, Israel has increased its own off-take from the aquifer above the agreed levels. This practice allows Israeli citizens, including settlers in the West Bank, to consume four times more fresh water per capita as Palestinians living in the West Bank.
The World Bank also found that although Palestinian agriculture accounts for a bigger share of economic output and overall employment in comparison to Israel, the Palestinian per capita water budget for agriculture is one-fifth of Israel's.
"You are dealing with a situation of vast inequality," Gray asserts. "In terms of the water situation, it is not experienced in the same way by Israelis and Palestinians ... and that creates a very different scenario for those Israeli farmers who have access to subsidized water and so never have to deal with the situation in the same way as Palestinian farmers."
As it stands, irrigated agriculture is an important economic sector in Palestine, contributing about 12 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employing 117,000 people, according to the World Bank. Improved water resources would enable agriculture to play a key economic, social and political role in rebuilding the Palestinian economy. The World Bank's report, "West Bank and Gaza: Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian Water Sector Development," states that "the cost to the economy of foregone opportunity in irrigated agriculture is significant, with upper bound preliminary estimates that could be as high as 10 percent of GDP and 110,000 jobs."
Taken together, the implications caused by restrictions from the JWC are hard to ignore. Not only is it limiting the development of vital infrastructure within Palestine, it's reducing the Palestinians' quality of life and crippling economic growth. As Khateeb, the FoEME Palestinian Director, explained, "After 15 years of JWC failure ... It's urgent to free the water sector and water needs of both peoples from the conflict."
Arwa Aburawa (http://arwafreelance.wordpress.com/) is a freelance journalist based in the UK.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10547.shtml
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| Workers from the Israeli water authority backed by armed soldiers take water samples in the occupied West Bank town of Qalqiliya. (Khaleel Reash/MaanImages) |
"It is time to replace the failed mechanism of the Joint Water Committees established under Oslo [the peace accords of the mid-1990s], with an institution where Palestinians and Israelis are true partners in both water supply and management responsibilities," said Nader Khateeb, the Palestinian Director of FoEME. This denouncement follows a recently published World Bank report which also found that the Joint Water Committees (JWC) "fall short of the needs of the Palestinian people."
Established under the Oslo accords, the JWC was set up specifically to oversee management of shared aquifers and to ensure that the West Bank and Gaza Strip received extra water accorded to them under the agreement. Palestinians and Israelis were intended to be equal partners working towards integrated water management and infrastructure. In reality, however, the JWC simply entrenched Israeli influence over the West Bank's water resources and introduced a complex permit system that has severely limited water development projects ever since.
Alice Gray, a former water consultant in the West Bank, said that the most significant impact of the Israeli occupation on the Palestinian environment has been the suspension of development. "My job at the time was basically to tell people all the reasons that they probably wouldn't be able to implement their project," she explained. "The reason that they [projects] are not built is because in order to build them under the Oslo accord, you need permission from the Joint Water Committees -- that's one big problem already."
Out of $121 million worth of Palestinian projects presented to JWC in 2001-2008, only half (or $60.4 million) were approved and only a third have been implemented or begun implementation. The World Bank also reported that 106 water projects and 12 large-scale waste-water projects are still awaiting JWC approval, some of them since 1999.
These startling statistics are all the more unsettling when compared with Israeli-proposed projects for development in the West Bank, where all but one have been swiftly approved by the JWC. Decisions made by the JWC are in theory based on consensual agreement between the two parties, yet the World Bank's report openly acknowledges that Israel alone has virtual veto power on all water issues.
In the West Bank, when plans are being drawn up for vital water infrastructure such as waste-water plants, the only space that is generally available is in Area C (which is 60 percent of the West Bank and is under total Israeli military control). So finding enough land that is at an "acceptable" distance from walls, checkpoints and even future Israeli settlements is another obstacle that projects need to overcome. Even when this condition is met, other complications with Israeli settlements arise.
Water consultant Alice Gray said, "When the Palestinians go to the Israeli authorities to ask for a permit to build a sewage treatment plant for their town, the Israelis say sure, but you also have to network and treat the sewage of the Israeli settlements."
She added, "The Palestinian position then generally would be no, they are not happy with that because if you build infrastructure for settlements then you are contributing to their entrenchment -- it's like admitting that they have a right to be there. So politically it's a nightmare."
Overcoming these constraints has proven so difficult that only one in seven proposed waste-water treatment plants is actually operational, and consequently only 31 percent of Palestinians are connected to a sewage network.
The underdevelopment of the West Bank's water infrastructure has a direct impact on the daily lives of Palestinians who face high costs and low quality water resources. Overall, Palestinians spend around eight percent of household expenditure on water, which is twice the globally-accepted standard. In addition, the poorest spend up to one-sixth of their household budget or more on providing clean water for their family.
By regional standards Palestinians have among the lowest access to fresh water, forcing Palestinian communities to engage in unlicensed drilling simply to obtain drinking water. The Israeli Water Authority has used its de facto role as regulator to prevent Palestinians drilling for water, despite growing demand from Palestinian consumers. Meanwhile, Israel has increased its own off-take from the aquifer above the agreed levels. This practice allows Israeli citizens, including settlers in the West Bank, to consume four times more fresh water per capita as Palestinians living in the West Bank.
The World Bank also found that although Palestinian agriculture accounts for a bigger share of economic output and overall employment in comparison to Israel, the Palestinian per capita water budget for agriculture is one-fifth of Israel's.
"You are dealing with a situation of vast inequality," Gray asserts. "In terms of the water situation, it is not experienced in the same way by Israelis and Palestinians ... and that creates a very different scenario for those Israeli farmers who have access to subsidized water and so never have to deal with the situation in the same way as Palestinian farmers."
As it stands, irrigated agriculture is an important economic sector in Palestine, contributing about 12 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employing 117,000 people, according to the World Bank. Improved water resources would enable agriculture to play a key economic, social and political role in rebuilding the Palestinian economy. The World Bank's report, "West Bank and Gaza: Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian Water Sector Development," states that "the cost to the economy of foregone opportunity in irrigated agriculture is significant, with upper bound preliminary estimates that could be as high as 10 percent of GDP and 110,000 jobs."
Taken together, the implications caused by restrictions from the JWC are hard to ignore. Not only is it limiting the development of vital infrastructure within Palestine, it's reducing the Palestinians' quality of life and crippling economic growth. As Khateeb, the FoEME Palestinian Director, explained, "After 15 years of JWC failure ... It's urgent to free the water sector and water needs of both peoples from the conflict."
Arwa Aburawa (http://arwafreelance.wordpress.com/) is a freelance journalist based in the UK.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10547.shtml
Islamic Architecture in Jerusalem
Haram al-Sharif: first qibla, second mosque and third holiest site in Islam
Nestled in the old city walls of Jerusalem, the Haram al-Sharif, or al-Aqsa Sanctuary, is the single most sacred site in the Holy Land. As the first qibla in Islam and third holiest site after Mecca and Medinah, this vast promenade also marks the blessed site of Prophet Muhammad's [pbuh] ascension to heaven. Indeed, Allah has blessed and honored this site for mankind to reap spiritual and material benefits even before the Prophet's [pbuh] ascension.
As Surah al-Isra reveals:
(Holy is He Who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque (in Makkah) to the Farther Mosque (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our Signs. Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. ) [Al-Isra 17:1]
The Surah here refers to the al-Aqsa Sanctuary as the farthest mosque (or Masjid al-Aqsa in Arabic) and indeed the entire sanctuary is considered to be the second mosque built on earth- forty years after the Ka'bah was built. To commemorate the sacredness of this sanctuary as well as the historical events which had occurred within, Muslims across time have built numerous mosques and monuments within its boundaries. The most famous of these include the glimmering gold Dome of the Rock and the black-domed Masjid al-Aqsa.
Dome of the Rock- Icon of Islam
The Dome of the Rock or 'Qubbet as-Sakhra' is often held up as the first work of Islamic architecture and also the finest and most iconic symbol of Islam. As the name suggests, this mosque enclaves a sacred rock which many believe the Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] used to ascend to heaven during al-Isra and al-Miraj. Under the first ruling Muslim dynasty the Ummayads, 'Abd al-Malik made a concerted effort to beautify Jerusalem and endow it with the gleaming Dome of the Rock as well as the Masjid al-Aqsa.
The eight-sided building has undergone very little alteration since it was completed in the late sixth century. Some scholars have even stated that judging from the design of the building, a dome over the rock and double octagonal walls, it was not meant to serve as a mosque at all but solely meant to commemorate the sacred rock. Centrally focused on the rock, the building appears to have been built as a place of pilgrimage which could be circumambulated like the Ka'bah.
Architectural Masterpiece
Built in typical Byzantine style, the mosque seamlessly combines marble columns, striking blue mosaics, stained glass windows with a glittering golden dome. Qubbet as-Sakhra is accessible through flights of stairs each crowned by an arcade which leads to the raised platform on which the mosque sits. The large central dome (around 25 meters high and 20 meters in diameter) is placed on a cylindrical wall or 'drum' which is decorated with sixteen windows and is supported by twelve stone columns arranged in a circle within the mosque. The wooden dome which is covered with gold-plated lead is located directly above the sacred rock.
Each of the eight exterior walls of the octagon is divided into seven panels. The lower section is gray veined marble and the upper is decorated with magnificent porcelain tiles from Turkey. Intricately designed windows adorning the top of every panel let in light which softly illuminates the inside of the mosque. Mosaics of deep blue and green glass which once enveloped the upper panel walls were almost completely replaced in the Ottoman period by Turkish tiles, however some originals remain inside.
At the very top of these exterior walls, a narrow band of Arabic inscription written in white letters against a blue background weaves 250m of Qu'ran around the building. These inscriptions which highlight the tenants of Islam and the prophet Muhammad as the final messenger, reflect the important role of the Dome of the Rock in a Jerusalem filled with monuments to Judaism and Christianity.
The mosque has four entrance from the north, south, east and west which take you through to the most lavish and spectacular interior designs of the monument. The mosaics inside the Qubbet as-Sakhra apply elaborate geometric patterns against a gold foil and in mother-of-pearl background intertwined with vegetal (stylized fruits, flowers and trees). The supporting bars above the central columns have even retained their bronze facing from the Mamluk and Ottoman period and are classically decorated with palmettes, acanthus leaves and vine tendrils.
Internally, the dome of Qubbet as-Sakhra is also magnificently decorated with concentric circles of painted and gilded arabesques which date back to the restoration of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in 1818.
Masjid Al-Aqsa: Spiritual Centre of Jerusalem
The second building constructed on the Haram al-Sharif is the black-domed Masjid al-Aqsa. Built 709 – 715 AD by Caliph Abd' al-Malik, this large mosque accommodates around 5,000 people and is dedicated to Bilal the first muezzin of Islam.
Masjid al-Aqsa has also been significantly re-built and modified several times due to major earthquakes and religious conflicts in the region. For example, under the Crusaders the mosque was converted into a church known as 'Solomon's Temple' up until 1187 AD when Saladin reclaimed Jerusalem and the Haram as a Muslim sanctuary. It also believed that the mosque was preceded by an earlier construction associated with Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab who cleared the Haram al-Sharif of debris and erected a simple mosque named Masjid al-'Umari.
In the light of this history, the present mosque is an elegant building- spacious, calm and perfectly suited to prayers and quiet contemplation. It has nine entrances; seven through the northern wall, one on the east and another on the west sides.
Topped with graceful arches, the northern entrances lead into the seven aisles of the mosque which are separated by massive columns. Of the 45 columns, 12 are made of stone and 33 are made from white marble- some of these marble columns were even donated by Benito Mussolini! The main arched doorway leads into the central aisle which has a beautifully painted and carved elevated roof and an elegant mihrab. The masjid's walls are also decorated with 121 stained-glass windows styled in geometric patterns and Qu'ranic inscriptions which illuminate the interior. .
The graceful silver-black dome which we see today is the outcome of a series of reconstructions, some of which occurred as recently as 1969. The dome, which had been previously reinforced using concrete and anodized aluminum, was reconstructed using lead enamelwork to match the original design of the architects.
Internally, the dome is decorated with intricate mosaics and marble designs from the fourteenth century. Mosaics above the central aisle arch and around the drum of the dome are even older and date back to 1035 AD. Saladin also gave the mosque a magnificent carved wooden minbar to commemorate the freedom of Jerusalem from the Crusaders, which was sadly burnt in an arson attack in 1969. It's important to note that when the Qu'ran refers to Masjid al-Aqsa, it is not the black-domed mosque later named in its honor which is implied but the entire al-Aqsa sanctuary.
Blessed Land and Not Blessed Buildings
Finally, while we must celebrate the magnificent mosques and monuments built by Muslims to commemorate this holy sanctuary, we must remember that it is the land of the al-Aqsa Sanctuary that is blessed and not its buildings. Indeed at the time of the Prophet Muhammad mosques were built only with functionality in mind. Designs were simple and mosques constructed using sun-dried mud bricks. Despite their humble simplicity, these mosques wholeheartedly fulfilled their essential purpose as a communal space for the faithful to gather and to pray.
Nestled in the old city walls of Jerusalem, the Haram al-Sharif, or al-Aqsa Sanctuary, is the single most sacred site in the Holy Land. As the first qibla in Islam and third holiest site after Mecca and Medinah, this vast promenade also marks the blessed site of Prophet Muhammad's [pbuh] ascension to heaven. Indeed, Allah has blessed and honored this site for mankind to reap spiritual and material benefits even before the Prophet's [pbuh] ascension.
As Surah al-Isra reveals:
(Holy is He Who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque (in Makkah) to the Farther Mosque (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our Signs. Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. ) [Al-Isra 17:1]
The Surah here refers to the al-Aqsa Sanctuary as the farthest mosque (or Masjid al-Aqsa in Arabic) and indeed the entire sanctuary is considered to be the second mosque built on earth- forty years after the Ka'bah was built. To commemorate the sacredness of this sanctuary as well as the historical events which had occurred within, Muslims across time have built numerous mosques and monuments within its boundaries. The most famous of these include the glimmering gold Dome of the Rock and the black-domed Masjid al-Aqsa.
Dome of the Rock- Icon of Islam
The Dome of the Rock or 'Qubbet as-Sakhra' is often held up as the first work of Islamic architecture and also the finest and most iconic symbol of Islam. As the name suggests, this mosque enclaves a sacred rock which many believe the Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] used to ascend to heaven during al-Isra and al-Miraj. Under the first ruling Muslim dynasty the Ummayads, 'Abd al-Malik made a concerted effort to beautify Jerusalem and endow it with the gleaming Dome of the Rock as well as the Masjid al-Aqsa.
The eight-sided building has undergone very little alteration since it was completed in the late sixth century. Some scholars have even stated that judging from the design of the building, a dome over the rock and double octagonal walls, it was not meant to serve as a mosque at all but solely meant to commemorate the sacred rock. Centrally focused on the rock, the building appears to have been built as a place of pilgrimage which could be circumambulated like the Ka'bah.
Architectural Masterpiece
Built in typical Byzantine style, the mosque seamlessly combines marble columns, striking blue mosaics, stained glass windows with a glittering golden dome. Qubbet as-Sakhra is accessible through flights of stairs each crowned by an arcade which leads to the raised platform on which the mosque sits. The large central dome (around 25 meters high and 20 meters in diameter) is placed on a cylindrical wall or 'drum' which is decorated with sixteen windows and is supported by twelve stone columns arranged in a circle within the mosque. The wooden dome which is covered with gold-plated lead is located directly above the sacred rock.
Each of the eight exterior walls of the octagon is divided into seven panels. The lower section is gray veined marble and the upper is decorated with magnificent porcelain tiles from Turkey. Intricately designed windows adorning the top of every panel let in light which softly illuminates the inside of the mosque. Mosaics of deep blue and green glass which once enveloped the upper panel walls were almost completely replaced in the Ottoman period by Turkish tiles, however some originals remain inside.
At the very top of these exterior walls, a narrow band of Arabic inscription written in white letters against a blue background weaves 250m of Qu'ran around the building. These inscriptions which highlight the tenants of Islam and the prophet Muhammad as the final messenger, reflect the important role of the Dome of the Rock in a Jerusalem filled with monuments to Judaism and Christianity.
The mosque has four entrance from the north, south, east and west which take you through to the most lavish and spectacular interior designs of the monument. The mosaics inside the Qubbet as-Sakhra apply elaborate geometric patterns against a gold foil and in mother-of-pearl background intertwined with vegetal (stylized fruits, flowers and trees). The supporting bars above the central columns have even retained their bronze facing from the Mamluk and Ottoman period and are classically decorated with palmettes, acanthus leaves and vine tendrils.
Internally, the dome of Qubbet as-Sakhra is also magnificently decorated with concentric circles of painted and gilded arabesques which date back to the restoration of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in 1818.
Masjid Al-Aqsa: Spiritual Centre of Jerusalem
The second building constructed on the Haram al-Sharif is the black-domed Masjid al-Aqsa. Built 709 – 715 AD by Caliph Abd' al-Malik, this large mosque accommodates around 5,000 people and is dedicated to Bilal the first muezzin of Islam.
Masjid al-Aqsa has also been significantly re-built and modified several times due to major earthquakes and religious conflicts in the region. For example, under the Crusaders the mosque was converted into a church known as 'Solomon's Temple' up until 1187 AD when Saladin reclaimed Jerusalem and the Haram as a Muslim sanctuary. It also believed that the mosque was preceded by an earlier construction associated with Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab who cleared the Haram al-Sharif of debris and erected a simple mosque named Masjid al-'Umari.
In the light of this history, the present mosque is an elegant building- spacious, calm and perfectly suited to prayers and quiet contemplation. It has nine entrances; seven through the northern wall, one on the east and another on the west sides.
Topped with graceful arches, the northern entrances lead into the seven aisles of the mosque which are separated by massive columns. Of the 45 columns, 12 are made of stone and 33 are made from white marble- some of these marble columns were even donated by Benito Mussolini! The main arched doorway leads into the central aisle which has a beautifully painted and carved elevated roof and an elegant mihrab. The masjid's walls are also decorated with 121 stained-glass windows styled in geometric patterns and Qu'ranic inscriptions which illuminate the interior. .
The graceful silver-black dome which we see today is the outcome of a series of reconstructions, some of which occurred as recently as 1969. The dome, which had been previously reinforced using concrete and anodized aluminum, was reconstructed using lead enamelwork to match the original design of the architects.
Internally, the dome is decorated with intricate mosaics and marble designs from the fourteenth century. Mosaics above the central aisle arch and around the drum of the dome are even older and date back to 1035 AD. Saladin also gave the mosque a magnificent carved wooden minbar to commemorate the freedom of Jerusalem from the Crusaders, which was sadly burnt in an arson attack in 1969. It's important to note that when the Qu'ran refers to Masjid al-Aqsa, it is not the black-domed mosque later named in its honor which is implied but the entire al-Aqsa sanctuary.
Blessed Land and Not Blessed Buildings
Finally, while we must celebrate the magnificent mosques and monuments built by Muslims to commemorate this holy sanctuary, we must remember that it is the land of the al-Aqsa Sanctuary that is blessed and not its buildings. Indeed at the time of the Prophet Muhammad mosques were built only with functionality in mind. Designs were simple and mosques constructed using sun-dried mud bricks. Despite their humble simplicity, these mosques wholeheartedly fulfilled their essential purpose as a communal space for the faithful to gather and to pray.
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