'Hussein's palace' site has a rich history
The
Hussein's palace site, called Tel el-Ful, has a long and rich history going back to biblical times when it was the location of King Saul's palace, known as
Givat Shaul (which is not the same as the Jewish neighborhood in northwest Jerusalem currently known as Givat Shaul).
Tel el-Ful's location and height have made it a strategic site for 3,000 years.
When the 1967 war broke out and Jordan shelled the Jewish side of Jerusalem, the Israeli Defense Forces flanked the Old City from the north, capturing Tel el-Ful on their way to re-uniting Jerusalem.
But it was not the first time the Hill was drenched with blood. Two weeks after the city of Jerusalem surrendered to the British army on December 9, 1917, the German commander unleashed a Christmas counterattack that was blocked at Tel el-Ful with heavy Turkish casualties, as documented in the Library of Congress photo collection. It was the last gasp of the Turkish campaign in Palestine.
The hill was also known as Gibeah/Givah, a Biblical town responsible for a near civil war in the early stages of the Israelites conquering the land of Israel. King Saul established his court at the location for 38 years, earning the location's name "Givat Shaul." It also served as a Philistine redoubt.
Read the whole thing. There are also pictures going back to World War I.
Labels: Givat Shaul, Hussein's palace, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, Jordan, Tel el-Ful
Hussein's palace to be renovated by Jordan? UPDATE: Work halted
On Wednesday, I reported on an apparent
land grab by the Wakf at Hussein's palace in Beit Hanina here in Jerusalem. Now, Maan reports that it's the Kingdom of Jordan which is behind the land grab. The King has apparently decided to
complete his father's palace.
Jordan is renovating King Hussein's unfinished palace in Jerusalem, Hebrew-language media reported Sunday.
The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Waqf and Religious Affairs is carrying out the work at Jordan's request, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported.
Maariv said the Jerusalem Municipality was not informed of the plans for the building, which is located in occupied East Jerusalem.
...
According to Maariv, the deserted building is used by prostitutes and drug users.
So is the Jerusalem municipality (or the government of Israel) going to insist that they go through ordinary approval processes? Or is the government going to de facto give up its sovereignty over 'east' Jerusalem? What could go wrong?
UPDATE 6:59 PM
Israeli authorities have
halted work on the site (Hat Tip:
Shy Guy).
Illegal renovations of King Hussein’s partially built summer villa, whose concrete shell was abandoned following the 1967 Six Day War, were halted Sunday after workers began building a fence around the building last week.
The site, located north of Jerusalem and believed to be the site of King Saul’s ancient palace and the capital of the tribe of Benjamin, is an archeological park that belongs to the Israel Lands Authority. Like other politically sensitive sites, no work has been done on the site since 1967, to honor the delicate status quo.
Chaim Silberstein, the CEO and founder of Keep Jerusalem, notified the police and the Jerusalem municipality when he saw tractors and workers pouring cement at the site on Thursday. Silberstein regularly brings groups to the site for an educational tour of the Jerusalem boundaries.
“I went up to the manager, and I asked him what they were doing, and he said, ‘I work for the Waqf, this is our property, it’s too dangerous and we’re fencing it in,’” Silberstein told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
...
Any renovation work on the building would require a permit from the municipality. The municipality told the media they had not issued any permits for the building.
“This is the site of the ancient Givat Shaul, it’s the second most important archeological site in Jerusalem after the City of David [near the Old City],” said Silberstein. “They are trying to remove Jewish connections and exert Palestinian sovereignty in east Jerusalem, and that’s not something we want,” he said.
Repeated attempts to contact the Waqf were unsuccessful.
According to Silberstein, who notified a bevy of right-wing activists and Knesset members of the illegal renovations, the renovation work was halted at the end of last week. Silberstein said in the future, he wanted to see the area renovated for tourists and archeologists.
This should be fun.... 'International incident' coming in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1....
Labels: Arab land grabs, Hussein's palace, Jordan, Jordanian King Abdullah, Wakf
A land grab at Hussein's palace
In 1972, when I made my first trip to Israel, the tour guide proudly took us to Hussein's palace. Hussein's palace, pictured at top left, was being constructed by Jordan's King Hussein when he foolishly entered the Six-Day War in 1967. It was never finished.
The unfinished palace sits on a high hilltop with a commanding view of the city. It can be seen from many parts of northeastern Jerusalem.
Over the years, it has become a bit less popular as a tourist attraction because going to an Arab neighborhood in Jerusalem (in this case Beit Hanina) is... a bit dicey....
Today, I received the following in an email from
Avi F:
hello i volunteer for an organization here in jerusalem called keep jerusalem ie. Im eskachech. we were touring some people today around jerusalem when we discovered that some people were fencing off Hussein's palace. when asked if they had a permit, they said it was paid and ordered by the wakf. we are currently trying to get on the issue with knesset members and the city police but if you could spread the word to anyone who might be able to stop this blatant illegal arab land grab it would be greatly appreciated.
Below are a couple more recent pictures that Avi F. sent to me.
Labels: Arab land grabs, Hussein's palace, Wakf
The Hussein's palace site, called Tel el-Ful, has a long and rich history going back to biblical times when it was the location of King Saul's palace, known as Givat Shaul (which is not the same as the Jewish neighborhood in northwest Jerusalem currently known as Givat Shaul). 
