Municipalities and Councils - Australians for Palestine

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acknowledges the difficulty. “In 2006,
54 licenses were granted for Arab
construction projects and 3,500 for
Jews. There should be a minimum
of 1,500.”
As the chairman of the Palestinian
National Theatre and the writer of
numerous books and plays, Abu Saud
believes in the power of culture to
reinforce Palestinian identity in the
city. “If we can host performances
each week this will help a revival. We
have the three oldest Mamluk baths
in the country; these must re-open.
We must develop our streets to be
tourist attractions, with traditional
souvenirs to replace the Chinesemade
goods. We know that the Arab
share of income from tourism in the
Holy Land is 7 percent even though
most of the historic and religious
sites are in Arab areas. If we raise it
by 1 percent we will gain $25 million
per year.” He believes that such
preservation efforts must be led by
the private sector, making use of its
relative freedom.
Abu Saud has lost faith in the
international community to affect the
violations of international law that
continue to disfigure his home city.
“We are still waiting for an American
Spring to take away the power of the
Zionist lobby,” he says wryly.
As for the role of his Municipality
in building a better tomorrow, he is
candid. “There were 12 of us, now
three are dead and two are old men
living in Jordan. I am the youngest
at 63! We need a young generation
with capacity.”
“If a solution is reached, we are a
pre-step ready to provide services.
But we do not work or even meet.
We don’t participate in the meetings
of Arab capitals or of Islamic capitals.
We don’t get the invitations because
we don’t have an address.”
Orient House in East Jerusalem. Photo by George Azar.