UK removes Dome of the Rock from the cover of the trade agreement with Israel
The British government has removed the image of the Dome of the Rock from the cover of an information note on the trade agreement with Israel. Now, the same link has been altered to download the new edition of the document.
This comes Boris Johnson’s office came under fire for using a photograph of the Dome of the Rock on the cover of an information note on the UK trade agreement with Israel, which denotes that the landmark is part of Israel, contrary to historical facts and international agreements regarding the Old City of Jerusalem and occupied East Jerusalem as whole.
Palestinian ambassador in the UK Husam Zomlot, tweeted: ” Why is al-Aqsa – the third holiest site in Islam & in occupied East Jerusalem-on the front page of this free trade agreement?”
Why is al-Aqsa – the third holiest site in Islam & in occupied East Jerusalem-on the front page of this free trade agreement? Is it another “mistake” or is the UK endorsing Israel’s illegal, immoral and belligerent occupation, annexation and its version of apartheid? @FCDOGovUK pic.twitter.com/0VgVyFNILM
— Husam Zomlot (@hzomlot) February 10, 2022
“Is it another “mistake” or is the UK endorsing Israel’s illegal, immoral and belligerent occupation, annexation and its version of apartheid?” he added.
Responses were divided between those who described the move as “disgraceful and offensive”, and others who found it unsurprising from the state responsible for the Balfour Declaration.
اليوم نجد الحكومة البريطانية تستخدم صور المسجد الأقصى في مذكرة المعلومات حول اتفاقية التجارة الحرة بين بريطانيا و"إسرائيل". ويبدو أن لا مشكلة لديها في اقتصار الاستخدام على الأماكن الإسلامية في القدس، طالما أن هذا التناقض يصب في اتجاه واحد، وهو مصلحة الاحتلال… pic.twitter.com/i0GLIoJV0e
— طارق حمود (@TarekHamoud) February 10, 2022
General Director of Palestinian Return Center (PRC) Tariq Hammoud commented on this recent development in the context of a larger pattern in the UK, listing many indicative stances made by the British government in recent months, such as refusing to condemn the Israeli designation of six civilian Palestinian institutions as terroristic entities, placing Hamas’s political wing in terrorist lists, and finally refusing Amnesty International’s description of Israel as an apartheid state.
https://twitter.com/AdnanHmidan/status/1492037483990761476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1492037483990761476%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Falarabinuk.com%2Far%2Fd8b5d988d8b1d8a9-d982d8a8d8a9-d8a7d984d8b5d8aed8b1d8a9-d8a7d8aad981d8a7d982d98ad8a9-d8a8d8b1d98ad8b7d8a7d986d98ad8a7-d8a5d8b3d8b1d8a7%2F
“Insulting and offensive,” proclaims Journalist Adnan Hmidan in regard to the misuse of the Dome of the Rock in occupied Jerusalem as a part of the UK’s free trade agreement with Israel. As for the researcher in Bayt Al-Maqdis studies, Dr. Abdullah Maarouf, he considered this a dangerous behavior on the part of Johnson’s government.
“Just a Picture”
Many pointed out that this particular choice in cover design could not be seen as arbitrary or misconstrued as “just a picture” or a simple mistake; that is unless the authorities decide to withdraw it, apologize for it, and replace it. It should also be noted that a close-up of the Dome of the Rock had covered the entire introduction page, completely washed in red as if to indicate the gravity of the point this “simple picture” is making.
So far, they have indeed removed both images.
Officially, the British government does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel and continues to call for respecting the land zoning prior to its 1967 occupation.
Extraordinary that the UK government announces a consultation on UK trade with Israel and uses a photograph of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which is in occupied territory, an area UK does not recognise as part of Israel. https://t.co/efgq5PP4UG
— Chris Doyle (@Doylech) February 10, 2022
To that end, Chris Doyle, Chairman of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), found it “extraordinary” that the UK government would use the picture of a landmark in occupied territory.
This Free trade agreement is of extreme importance to Israel, as Britain is its third largest trading partner. In 2020 alone, the overall trade relationship between the UK and Israel reached £4.8 billion, according to official statistics from the Department of International Trade.
Israeli media celebrated this “historic” agreement, as they described it. “The existing cooperation between the economies of the United Kingdom and Israel is a good basis for deepening and expanding trade and economic relations between the two countries,” said Israeli Economy Minister Orna Barbivai.
Adding: “We will reduce trade and import barriers; To ensure the realization of economic and commercial potential,” as reported by the Israeli “Jewish News Syndicate” (JNS).
Here, Al-Arab in UK platform provides you with a copy of the aforementioned trade agreement for further information. You can also object to any part of the agreement on the governmental website.
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