Jerusalem and the Holy Sites in Two Exceptional Years: Free Section from The Palestine Strategic Report 2024–2025

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Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations is pleased to make the “Jerusalem and the Holy Sites” section from The Palestine Strategic Report 2024–2025 available for free download on its website for researchers and all those interested in Jerusalem and related issues.

This section offers a systematic, comprehensive, and fully documented scholarly examination of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem and the holy sites, the conditions they face under Israeli occupation, together with a forward-looking assessment of future developments and trends.

It documents the unprecedented escalation in the targeting of Jerusalem and its holy sites during 2024–2025, coinciding with the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip (GS) and the acceleration of Judaization and annexation policies in Jerusalem and the WB. The study shows that Al-Aqsa Mosque was at the center of these developments, marked by intensified settler incursions, tighter restrictions on worshippers, and continued attempts to impose a new reality within the Mosque and its surroundings, alongside ongoing excavations and Judaization projects. It also documents attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites, restrictions on freedom of worship, and the continuing decline of the Arab Christian presence in Jerusalem, reflecting a systematic Israeli policy aimed at reshaping the city’s religious and cultural identity.

This material is drawn from the chapter entitled Land and the Holy Sites, the third chapter of The Palestinian Strategic Report 2024–2025. It was written by Ziad Bhies and academically edited by Prof. Dr. Mohsen Mohammad Saleh.

The Palestinian Strategic Report 2024–2025 is the fourteenth in a series published by Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations over the past two decades. Over time, the series has become a key reference for specialists and those interested in the Palestine issue, owing to its comprehensive coverage of developments over a two-year period, its adherence to rigorous academic and professional standards, and its extensive use of up-to-date data and statistics, supported by numerous tables and figures, alongside strategic analysis and forward-looking assessments.
Al-Zaytouna Centre hopes that this material will serve researchers, institutions and all those engaged in defending Jerusalem and Palestine.

Click here to download:
>>“Jerusalem and the Holy Sites” section from The Palestine Strategic Report 2024–2025 (64 pages, 4.9 MB)