Grassroots Al-Quds

Summary

Palestinian community organization in Jerusalem whose guidebook Wujood (Arabic for existence or presence) seizes the narrative of Jerusalem from Israeli control, and whose organizer Fayrouz Sharqawi leads East Jerusalem solidarity tours, as presented in Chapter 4 of Invited to Witness — Solidarity Tourism across Occupied Palestine (Invited to Witness — Solidarity Tourism across Occupied Palestine, PDF p.145-152).

Wujood on the demolished Moroccan Quarter: “If during your visit to the Old City you find your way to Al-Buraq Wall (or the Western Wall) and see the Jewish worshippers in the yard, remember that prior to 1967 dozens of Palestinian homes once stood here. The quarter had been a Muslim Waqf since 1193 and was home to one thousand Palestinian residents, who were then displaced to Shufat Refugee Camp and elsewhere in Jerusalem” (PDF p.145).
Wujood on Damascus Gate: “The Old City’s historical main entrance — Damascus Gate — lies neglected”; “Today, Damascus Gate looks more like an imposing military outpost with its three watchpoints”, intimidating tourists away from the Palestinian markets behind it, “which have seen a sharp decline of visitors in recent years” (PDF p.147).
Wujood devotes a whole section to Israel’s use of tourism as a colonial tool in Jerusalem: “The Israeli tourism industry and propaganda outfits use the Jewish history in Palestine to justify the Zionization of Jerusalem” — by way of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism’s licensing courses emphasizing only Jewish ties to the land, the routing of tourists to religious sites and quickly back west to eat, drink and shop, and tourist projects routed directly through settlements (PDF p.151).
In Wujood, and on myriad solidarity tours, the discussion of tourism is followed by a discussion of international complicity and ends with a discussion of the BDS movement (PDF p.151).

tags
aliases