WHY ISRAEL’S RENAMING OF JERUSALEM LANDMARKS HAS SPARKED OUTRAGE

Fri 28 August 2026:

The Israeli authorities are continuing to rename streets, landmarks and historic sites in Jerusalem as part of a policy aimed at replacing traditional Arab place names with Hebrew ones, the Jerusalem Governorate said Wednesday.

The governorate said that Israeli authorities had installed a sign reading “Old Gate” while removing signs bearing the original name of Bab al-Amoud, also known as the Damascus Gate — one of the best-known entrances to Jerusalem’s Old City.

According to the governorate, the move is not only an administrative change but part of a broader effort to reshape Jerusalem’s urban and cultural landscape and efface historic Arab place names.

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It said the names of Jerusalem’s gates, streets and landmarks form part of the city’s national, historical and cultural memory, warning that replacing them threatens the city’s Arab, Islamic and Christian heritage.

The governorate warned of “continued efforts to alter Jerusalem’s historic character,” asserting that Israeli attempts to impose new realities would “not erase the city’s history or collective memory.”

The statement was issued a day after Israel seized the Qalandia Training Center, run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), in occupied East Jerusalem — a move to which Palestinian authorities have called for a “firm international response.”

East Jerusalem is considered occupied territory under international law.

The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the historic city, while Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Several UN resolutions, including Security Council Resolution 478, reject measures aimed at changing the character, demographic composition, or political and legal status of Jerusalem.

-Source: AA

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