Foreign and Zionist Infiltration in the City of Jerusalem "Sheikh Jarrah Neighborhood as a Case Study" (1838 – 1967(

Abstract

The study aimed to explore the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem during the period from 1838 to 1967. It relied on the most important original historical documents related to Sheikh Jarrah, shedding light on foreign and Zionist infiltration, particularly after the approval of property ownership and the issuance of the Foreign Ownership Law in 1859.

        This was manifested in the acquisition of some properties, buildings, and lands, which were considered the beginning of this infiltration. The study's problem revolves around answering several questions, including: When did foreign and Zionist infiltration into Jerusalem begin? How did the Zionists settle in Sheikh Jarrah? The study seeks to answer these questions by identifying the origins of foreign infiltration into Jerusalem and its methods, and by examining how the Zionists settled in Sheikh Jarrah, along with the strategies they adopted for this purpose. The study aims to answer the following main question: Who are the true owners of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood? Do the Zionists have any rightful claims to Sheikh Jarrah? To achieve the study's objectives, a historical methodology was employed, based on collecting information from sources, analyzing it, and critically evaluating it in alignment with the research's concept of proving Arab ownership of Sheikh Jarrah's lands.

        The study was divided into five main sections: the first section covered the naming of the neighborhood, the second its geographical location, the third its origin, the fourth foreign infiltration, and the fifth Zionist infiltration. The study reached several conclusions, most notably that foreign infiltration in Sheikh Jarrah began with the approval of property ownership and the issuance of the Foreign Ownership Law in 1859. Additionally, the ownership of the disputed land in Sheikh Jarrah between Zionists and Arabs belongs to the Hijazi Al-Saadi family, as evidenced by the decision of the Ottoman Sharia Court of Jerusalem and official land registry records.