Every year, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, millions of people around the world mobilise to mark the International Day of Al-Quds, the Arabic name for the city of Jerusalem.

Established in 1979 by the leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, the day is not merely a symbolic expression of solidarity with Palestine. It reflects the understanding that Jerusalem occupies a central place in the historical, political and civilisational struggle surrounding the Palestinian question.

Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. Founded around five thousand years ago, it has been ruled by many different peoples throughout history, yet Arab and Islamic presence has profoundly shaped its development.

From the seventh century onwards, the city remained largely under Arab and Islamic administration for more than twelve centuries, with the exception of the Crusader period. During this long era, Jerusalem was a space of religious coexistence where Muslims, Christians and Jews were able to practise their faiths.

This millennia-old history contrasts sharply with the ideological narrative promoted by the modern Zionist movement.

Emerging in Europe in the late nineteenth century, Zionism transformed religious interpretations into the political foundation for a project of territorial colonisation in Palestine.

Emerging in Europe in the late nineteenth century, Zionism transformed religious interpretations into the political foundation for a project of territorial colonisation in Palestine.

One of the pillars of this discourse was the claim that Jerusalem had been the capital of a powerful biblical kingdom ruled by David and Solomon, whose supposed historical legacy would legitimise the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine.

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However, contemporary archaeological and historiographical research casts serious doubt on this narrative. Excavations conducted over recent decades have failed to produce material evidence confirming the existence of a great unified kingdom in Jerusalem during the period attributed to David and Solomon.

Historians such as Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman argue that many biblical accounts were constructed centuries after the events they describe and do not correspond to the available archaeological evidence.

Despite these academic debates, the biblical myth continues to be used as a political instrument to justify the occupation and demographic transformation of the city.

Since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, Jerusalem has become one of the central flashpoints of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. International law considers East Jerusalem to be occupied territory, and numerous United Nations resolutions affirm that the measures taken by Israel to alter the status of the city have no legal validity.

Nevertheless, over the past decades the Israeli government has intensified policies aimed at changing the demographic and political character of Jerusalem.

These policies include the expansion of illegal settlements, the demolition of Palestinian homes, the forced displacement of families from historic neighbourhoods and the systematic restriction of the Palestinian population’s freedom of worship and movement. The goal is to transform Jerusalem into the exclusive capital of the Israeli state, consolidating a process of colonisation that openly violates international law.

In recent years, however, the situation has taken an even more alarming turn.

Extremist groups linked to the Zionist settler movement have openly advocated the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock — two of Islam’s most important holy sites — in order to build a so-called Third Temple.

Extremist groups linked to the Zionist settler movement have openly advocated the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock — two of Islam’s most important holy sites — in order to build a so-called Third Temple.

What for decades remained a marginal discourse has increasingly gained influence within sectors of Israeli politics and organisations operating directly within the Al-Aqsa compound, often under the protection of the occupying security forces.

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The mere possibility of an attack against the Al-Haram Al-Sharif complex represents a provocation of incalculable magnitude. Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam and holds deep spiritual significance for more than two billion Muslims worldwide. Any attempt to destroy or alter this religious heritage would have repercussions far beyond the borders of Palestine.

Jerusalem has therefore become the point where the different dimensions of the conflict converge: religious, historical, political and geopolitical.

For the Palestinian people, the defence of Jerusalem is not merely symbolic. It is about preserving their historical existence. The city represents the collective memory of a society that has faced decades of military occupation, territorial colonisation and systematic policies of population displacement.

It is no coincidence that Jerusalem has also become a powerful symbol of international mobilisation. Over the past decades, protests in defence of the city and of Al-Aqsa Mosque have taken place in many countries, involving social movements, religious organisations and human rights activists.

The Day of Al-Quds reflects precisely this global dimension of the Palestinian cause. It reminds the world that the question of Jerusalem cannot be reduced to a local territorial dispute. It involves fundamental principles of international law, including the right of peoples to self-determination, the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force and the protection of holy sites belonging to different religious traditions.

History shows that colonial occupations rarely endure indefinitely. Throughout the twentieth century, numerous peoples achieved independence after decades of foreign domination. The persistence of Palestinian resistance, despite immense military asymmetry, reflects this same historical dynamic.

Jerusalem remains the political, spiritual and symbolic heart of Palestine. And as long as the Palestinian people continue to struggle for their national rights and the preservation of their holy sites, the question of Al-Quds will remain at the centre of the international agenda.

Jerusalem remains the political, spiritual and symbolic heart of Palestine. And as long as the Palestinian people continue to struggle for their national rights and the preservation of their holy sites, the question of Al-Quds will remain at the centre of the international agenda.

More than a city, Jerusalem has become a universal symbol of the struggle against occupation and for the dignity of peoples. And as long as resistance endures, Al-Quds will never surrender.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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