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Salah Al-Zahika - Jerusalem - 7/10/2023

In continuation of the talk about civil society institutions in Jerusalem, this morning I received a phone call from a friend during which he said to me: “Please intervene, do something, speak, ask the relevant departments, talk to the tribesmen and large families, ask the (nestled) institutions in Jerusalem that receive allocations.” Either monthly or annually, or according to the project you present to this or that party. I ask all of them to intervene to stand in the face of the greed of some real estate owners who not only collect exorbitant fees for renting a house or a commercial place in Jerusalem, but also impose impossible conditions.” . 

Here are some examples:

A voluntary organization run by a group of women concerned with helping those in need through the donations it collects, complains that the landlord asked them to increase the monthly rent from $700 to $1,400. 

One of the tenants, who is an employee, went to rent a house, and the landlord asked him to pay a year’s rent in advance.

One of the tower owners in Jerusalem asks for a monthly rent of $200. He does not stop at that, but adds an impossible condition, which is that the tenant pays him two years’ rent in advance. 

One of them asked to pay the rent three years in advance. 

To what level have we reached!? And who brought us to that?!? Someone may say that the occupation is the reason, and another may specialize and say that the construction fees that the occupation municipality collects from them are very high, and another may say that construction costs are high, or the price of the land has risen. Dozens of times. 

Here, I will mention a story that happened more than 20 years ago, and a friend of mine told it to me. He said: “One of the occupation intelligence officers summoned me to the investigation and police center in a building in Ras al-Amud, which has now turned into a building for settlers within the settlement they established there at the expense of the lands of Jerusalemites, and after Rounds of investigation The officer took me outside the investigation center building, where the dirt yard was there, and said: (Crush a handful of dirt with the palm of your hand and shake it upwards 3 times. Then the occupation intelligence officer asked me: (What is left of the handful of dirt in your palm), so I said to him: There were several pebbles left in my palm.” Then the intelligence man laughed and said to him: “This is how we will put you in Jerusalem. Only those of you who have money can live there.” 

I told you this story so that you know that the greedy and covetous owners of houses, real estate, and towers contribute to the displacement of Jerusalemite youth, who are eligible for marriage, out of Jerusalem, as well as the migration of families and institutions that are unable to pay the exorbitant rents. 

To all conscientious property and house owners, review your accounts and do not be a reason or a help for the occupation to displace us from our beloved Jerusalem, which is dear to all of our hearts.

And to our concerned departments and authorities in Jerusalem, and there are many of them, the matter does not cost you much, just determine the limits of the monthly rent for houses according to the area of each house and circulate that to the people of Jerusalem. 

And to our tribesmen and families, they contributed to the people and stood with them in reducing the high cost of household rents and formed a complaints council.

And you, civil society institutions in all their forms, who, in the name of the steadfastness and support of the people of Jerusalem, are present, stand with your people and stop the exodus from the city, for history will not be merciful.

There will be a continuation of the hadith, God willing.