Imtiaz Abu Awad writes:
Palestine is a land steeped in history, its civilizations and peoples existing thousands of years before the advent of the Abrahamic religions. It was home to the Canaanites and other peoples of the region. Therefore, the history of Palestine does not begin with Judaism, Christianity, or Islam; these religions arrived later in a land with a history and civilizations rooted for millennia. The Palestinians today are an extension of this land’s accumulated history. It is unacceptable to reduce Palestine to a single religious narrative or to deny the roots of a people who have lived there generation after generation. Justice today lies in preserving the Palestinians’ right to their homeland, their dignity, and their security, along with the right of all to peace.
Khan al-Sultan, also known as al-Wakalah, is a caravanserai located at the northern end of a covered alleyway leading north from Bab al-Silsila Street, near the eastern edge of the Goldsmiths’ Market Street, in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City. It is only a few hundred meters from the Al-Aqsa Mosque. In the 20th century, the caravanserai’s facilities were converted into shoe factories. At the beginning of the 21st century, the first floor was occupied by shops, warehouses, and small workshops run by Jerusalemites, while the second floor became a residence for dozens of families, housing approximately 120 people. The caravanserai suffers from neglect and a lack of restoration of its houses and buildings. It also suffers from overcrowding, as the Israeli occupation authorities prevent any expansion or construction.