Research Visit to Jerusalem (1-14th December, 2009)

Craig Larkin has undertaken a research visit to Jerusalem (1-14th December). His fieldwork concentrated on the ‘Holy City/Holy Places’ J2 module, exploring relevant themes such as the ongoing politicisation of cultural heritage and re/desacralization of land; and the role and significance of Islamic groups working within Jerusalem. Data was drawn from a combination of observational tours, visual surveys and 20 interviews with a wide range of Israeli and Palestinian academics, activists, politicians and social commentators.

In Jerusalem the current battle over holy places has taken both new forms and diverse trajectories. The controversy concerning the Mughrabi Gate pathway, appears far from over and will undoubtedly be re-ignited, yet all attention is being drawn to two sites of contested sacredness beyond the Old City walls. Firstly Silwan, the scene of Elad’s newly constructed archaeological park, an extravagant celebration of historic Israel: King David’s city. The ever expanding tourist site continues to threaten local Palestinian neighbourhoods and properties, particularly in the Wadi Helwe district, under the pretext of sacred national heritage. Alternatively, in West Jerusalem, an ancient Muslim burial ground, the ‘Mamilla Cemetery’ has become a site of religious and political dispute, as Israeli authorities have officially approved the construction of a Jewish ‘Museum of Tolerance’ on part of the land. Interviews with leading figures in this debate highlight the significance of Mamilla, as a test case regarding the issue of who can and should determine the religious sanctity of a site in Jerusalem; and how is this process impacted by the passage of time, the current land occupancy and everyday use. Mamilla, also has become a new rallying point for Islamist groups such as Sheikh Ra’ad Salah’s Islamic movement, who are keen to mobilise popular resistance through protest rallies, while challenging the government through legal action in the Israeli courts.

While our previous research trip confirmed the increasingly religious nature of social confrontations within Jerusalem’s Old City: graffiti, flags, posters, security patrols and spatial practice. Such visual divisions and communal tensions have been exacerbated by an increase of random violent attacks perpetrated by both Palestinian and Jewish individuals. Amidst a climate of political failure, due to both the Palestinian leadership power vacuum and Israeli political intransigence, the struggle for territorial control is increasingly being defined by extreme religious ideological groups and agendas. In the Israeli case this is evidenced by the heightened activity of Jewish Settlers, occupying properties in East Jerusalem (Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah) and opening Yeshivas and synagogues (Ohel Yitzhak) in the Muslim quarter of the Old City. Amongst the Palestinian community this is being countered by the increasing popularity and influence of the Islamic movement. Sheikh Ra’ad Salah has become a unifying figure, bridging the ever widening Hamas/Fatah division and the Israeli Arab/ Jerusalemite dislocation through championing the defence of Jerusalem’s Islamic heritage and threatened religious sites. Although there remains some disagreement over the exact nature and extent of the Islamic movement’s reach in Jerusalem, there is consensus over its contribution to conservation through targeted campaigns (‘Al-Aqsa is in Danger’ and the Mamilla Cemetery) and the East Jerusalem economy through organised religious tours and community visits to the Haram as-Sharif.