Lexicon

Signed in Egypt in September 1999, stipulating additional Israeli withdrawals of 11 percent of the West Bank in three stages, a release of 350 Palestinian prisoners, the creation of a safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and construction of the Gaza seaport. The agreement was never implemented, and US President Bill Clinton sought to shortcut negotiations by holding the Camp David summit in July 2000. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat could not come to agreement on final-status issues, and both Israeli and US officials blamed Palestinians when the talks failed. The result was that in September 2000, the Second Intifada broke out, and hardliner Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister of Israel in 2001.

See Israel Security Agency.

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Arabic for martyrs (sing.: shaheed), the term Palestinians use to refer to those who are killed by Israeli forces during politically motivated attacks aimed at defending or protecting their people and its national rights and dignity.

A Jewish holiday that celebrates the completion and restart of the annual Torah reading cycle. The holiday marks both the conclusion of the reading of Deuteronomy and the immediate beginning of Genesis, symbolizing the eternal and cyclical nature of Torah study. The festive occasion is a component of Shemini Atzeret, which falls immediately after Sukkot in the Hebrew month of Tishrei, in September or October. The exact day and manner of celebration depend on whether a community is Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform, and also if it is located in Israel. During Simchat Torah, evening worshippers participate in joyful Torah processions or hakafot, during which a synagogue’s Torah scrolls are removed from their platform and carried around the synagogue in seven circuits. In some synagogues, this is the only time that the Torah schools are removed from their ark, the ornamental chamber that holds them, at night, and they might be taken into the street to continue the procession. The holiday also involves special prayers and Torah readings. 

See settlement of land title.

The Arabic term for marketplace or bazaar. Souks are typically found in the Middle East and North Africa. Usually, they offer a wide variety of goods being sold, including spices, textiles, jewelry, pottery, and more. They serve as hubs for trade and social interaction; historically, many ancient cities were reliant on tourists’ foot traffic in souks for economic benefit. Most souks comprise narrow, often covered, alleyways and dedicated outdoor plazas.

See souk.

Settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory planned and built by Israeli state and military authorities. Two examples include Ma‘ale Adumim and Giv’at Ze’ev. The political ideology of settlers who live in these settlements is diverse and may not be right-wing.

A historical set of detailed understandings and practices meant to preserve existing interdenominational arrangements at sites holy to Muslims, Christians and Jews in Jerusalem and Bethlehem and, thus, prevent conflict. The original or historic status quo agreement relates to Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It was established in 1852 by an Ottoman firman and internationally recognized at the 1856 Paris Conference and in Article 62 of the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, which stated that “no alterations can be made to the status quo in the Holy Places.” These agreements relate to ownership, worship times, physical structures, and even furniture, and were affirmed by British, Jordanian, and Israeli authorities. The “Immovable Ladder” at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is an example. 

The second status quo pertains to al-Haram al-Sharif, which is the more delicate and commonly discussed agreement today. It was established following Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, which necessitated an understanding between Israel, Jordan, and the Islamic waqf. The sensitive arrangement restricts Muslim prayer to al-Aqsa Mosque and assigns exclusive Islamic administration (including maintenance and restoration), as well as control over entry and religious affairs relating to Haram al-Sharif, to the Jordanian Jerusalem Waqf  Department. Jewish prayer is restricted to the Western Wall, and Jews are allowed to visit—but not pray at—al-Haram al-Sharif according to a strict schedule. Finally, Israel is to maintain overall security control of the holy sites. 

As a matter of course, and increasingly so, extremist Jewish settlers, accompanied by Israeli government and security forces, overrun Muslim prayer grounds in large numbers, often while carrying out religious rituals and deliberately harassing Muslim worshippers for lengthy intervals of time that violate even Israel’s instructions on visitation hours. These incursions amount to violations of the status quo agreement and are regularly condemned by Palestinian and Jordanian authorities, as well as the international community, albeit to no avail. 

One of at least 100 different types of permits Israel requires Palestinians with Palestinian Authority (Green) IDs to obtain to access Jerusalem. Specifically, this permit is for nonresident spouses of Palestinian permanent residents with Israeli IDs who live within the municipal boundaries of the city. Because family unification was banned in 2000, Israel introduced the stay permit in 2006 as a means of granting occasional “exceptions” to the ban, allowing such “nonresident spouses” to “stay” in the city legally with their spouses for periods longer than those allowed by other entry permits. Control over its issuance and approval lies entirely with the COGAT, and the application process is long, involved, and unpredictable. Only men aged over 35, women aged over 25, and children aged over 13 may apply.

If granted, the stay permit allows the spouse or child without an Israeli permanent-resident ID to live legally within the city boundaries for a defined period of time, usually a year or two. The applicant must reapply to renew the permit after that time. The holder of this permit only has the right to stay, sleep, and work (on a working permit similar to foreign workers) in Jerusalem or Israel. Holders of this permit do not have any civil and social rights in Jerusalem or Israel. For example, they cannot drive a car, open a bank account, or obtain healthcare. (Some limited numbers of exceptions were made mainly for humanitarian reasons.)

The COGAT can revoke the stay permit for an individual or for all holders of such permits at any time without notice.

A militant group that broke away from the Irgun, an underground Zionist paramilitary group, in 1940. (The label “Lehi” is the abbreviation of Lohamei Herut Israel, which translates as “Fighters for the Freedom of Israel.” Because the group was founded by Avraham Stern, it is also known as the “Stern Gang.”) The Lehi targeted Palestinian communities and British Mandate forces and was regarded as a terrorist organization. It was responsible for notorious acts of terrorism, including the assassinations of Lord Moyne, minister of state for the colonies, in 1944, and Folke Bernadotte, the Swedish UN mediator, in 1948. It also attacked railways, airfields, and strategic installations. During the 1948 War, the Lehi joined forces and command structure with the Haganah and committed several offensives and atrocities, among them the Deir Yasin massacre of April 9, 1948, during which more than 100 Palestinian noncombatants were killed. (News of this massacre contributed to the flight of Palestinian families to neighboring countries for safety; their wartime exodus turned out to be permanent.) The Lehi was later disbanded and some of its units merged into the Israeli army in September 1948. Yitzhak Shamir, a Lehi leader, later became prime minister of Israel.

The smallest categorization size in the Israeli land registry, about the size of an apartment. See also Block and Parcel.

One of two main tests, along with the “objective test,” that the Israeli Ministry of Interior uses to determine whether a Palestinian permanent resident’s “center of life” is in Israel and hence, if he or she is qualified to retain legal status as a permanent resident. The “subjective test” is based on a person’s subjective connection to the country, which the authorities give themselves latitude to evaluate on a “case-by-case basis,” meaning that there are no written or defined criteria for passing this test.

Practitioner of Sufism, the mystical and spiritual tradition within Islam that focuses on direct personal experience of God and love of the divine. Sufi teaching is firmly rooted in the Quran, the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, and traditional Muslim jurisprudence. But Sufis also emphasize inner dimensions of faith—the state of the heart. Their methodology heavily relies upon self-discipline, renunciation of worldly excess (zuhd), and the remembrance of God (dhikr). Their communities are organized around spiritual paths called turuq (singular: tariqa), traditionally headed by an authentic spiritual guide or teacher (sheikh) with a chain of transmission back to Prophet Muhammad. According to the most reliable opinion, the word Sufi itself is said to derive from the Arabic word for “wool,” because the first Sufis wore coarse wool for humility and discipline. Sufis are found as early as the seventh century. In Jerusalem, a number of Sufi lodges (zawiyas or khanqas) housed different Sufi groups. Sufis lived there, studied, fed travelers and the poor, practiced dhikr, and taught spiritual discipline. Many were endowed as Islamic charitable institutions (waqf), making Sufism inseparable from the city’s social fabric. 

The last meal consumed before a Muslim’s daily fast begins with the dawn (fajr) call to prayer during the holy month of Ramadan. Muslims consume suhur meals as a means of fueling their bodies before their fasts begin, and therefore generally opt for filling meals such as eggs, lean meats, fruits, and slow-release carbohydrate sources. Many restaurants in Muslim-majority countries remain open late into the night and before dawn to provide suhur for customers. A centuries-old suhur tradition is the musaharati, an individual or group of individuals who roam the streets during Ramadan in the hours just before dawn and wake people for suhur and the dawn prayer. 

A major Jewish festival—also known as the “Harvest Festival,” the “Feast of Tabernacles,” and the “Feast of Booths”—that celebrates God’s provision and protection. Sukkot begins five days after Yom Kippur. It lasts seven days and usually occurs in September or October, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei in the Hebrew calendar, and has celebratory harvest themes. The word sukkot means “booths,” referencing the temporary shelters that the Israelites lived in during their 40 years in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, as described in the Torah. Observant families build a temporary outdoor sukka that has three walls and a roof of branches or other natural material and, at a minimum, eat all their meals outside in this space for the week of Sukkot. Observant Jews also pray while waving the Four Kinds: a palm frond, two willow twigs, at least three myrtle twigs (these first three bound together), and a lemon. These symbolize the diverse constituents of the Jewish community, underscoring the maxim that “it takes all kinds.” Along with Passover and Shavuot, Sukkot is one of the three annual pilgrimages when every male Jew was to be in Jerusalem. Simchat Torah immediately follows Sukkot.  

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