- Journal of Islamicjerusalem Studies
- Vol: 19 Issue: 1
- استغلال الانتداب البريطاني أوقاف بيت المقدس لصالح الصهيونية...
استغلال الانتداب البريطاني أوقاف بيت المقدس لصالح الصهيونية
Authors : Walaa Shoyokhi
Pages : 99-112
Doi:10.31456/beytulmakdis.481650
View : 6 | Download : 3
Publication Date : 2019-06-15
Article Type : Research
Abstract :The British Mandate for Palestine is considered one of the most critical periods in the history of the holy city. During which the Holy Land underwent a war followed by the mandate for thirty years and being concluded with the Zionist occupation in 1948. Britain –the Mandatory Government – devoted its presence in Palestine for the objective of fulfilling the Balfour Declaration, promising the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. Thus, it took all measures and made new laws dedicated to the fulfilment of this goal. And due to the importance of Awqaf (Islamic Endowment) in the Holy Land, in terms of its historical and religious significance as well as the ease of taking over it. This is especially the case with many of the Awqaf missing their waqfiyyat (s. waqfiyya, legal document setting up a waqf or endowment charter) to prove their validity. This was quickly realised by both the Mandatory government and the Zionist movement. Therefore, the Mandate Government enacted laws that legalised the seizing and confiscation of these endowments. The paper will illustrate the means by which the British Mandatory power had granted much of the land of Bayt al-Maqdis and the Holy Land to the Zionists using policies of confiscation, equivocation, deception, and procrastination. This is besides taking advantage of the Palestinian ignorance about the importance of the lands and its future; despite the many attempts that the Supreme Muslim Council together with Imams and preachers to counter this, it was insufficient against Anglo-Zionist schemes. This study relies on the Jerusalem archival documents from the Centre for reviving the heritage (Markaz Ihya' al-Turath) in Abu-Dis as well as other secondary sources, showing how these initial steps have led to and continue to affect the ongoing suffering today.Keywords : British Mandate, Awqaf, Zionism, Bayt al-Maqdis, Palestine