Har Homa is Not in East Jerusalem (Judean Rose) ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Har Homa is Not in East Jerusalem (Judean Rose)

Har Homa is not in East Jerusalem, nor is it in southeastern East Jerusalem. Har Homa is in southern Jerusalem, period. In fact, Har Homa is located at the southernmost edge of Jerusalem. Observe this OCHA map of so-called East Jerusalem, OCHA not being known for its friendliness to Israel:

See that little square outlined in black, above? It is clearly labeled “East Jerusalem.” Technically, there’s no such thing. Jerusalem is a one, unified city.

#Australia is a great friend of #Israel and we greatly appreciate our friendship and warm relations. But there is no such thing as “West Jerusalem” and “East Jerusalem”. There is only Jerusalem, the eternal and undivided capital of the state of Israel.
— Tzachi Hanegbi • צחי הנגבי (@Tzachi_Hanegbi) December 15, 2018

But let’s leave that for now. Scroll way down the OCHA map in a southerly direction and eventually, you will hit Har Homa, circled below, in red. It is indisputably, decidedly in south Jerusalem, as distinct from east Jerusalem (and East Jerusalem, which does not exist).’

The Virtual Jewish Library doesn’t seem to have any problem with its compass, moral or otherwise. Its entry on Har Homa is straightforward: “Contrary to Palestinian claims, Har Homa is not in ‘traditional Arab East Jerusalem.’ It is neither ‘Arab’ (most of the land was expropriated from Jews); nor ‘East’ (it is in southern Jerusalem).”

Why then, did Tablet use this Getty photo with its erroneous caption on August 24, 2023? Poor fact-checking? A lack of caring over what might have been seen by the Tablet editor in question as an insignificant detail? Or is Tablet just down with revising geography to suit a “Palestinian” narrative not grounded in reality?

The Guardian is known to lie to make Israel look bad, so we expect them to lie about the actual location of Har Homa. They do it to make it look as if the Jews stole Har Homa from the Arabs, as in this 2014 piece on “settlement expansion.”

Haaretz is also known to invent facts about Israel not in evidence, and a recent (July 2023) piece by Judy Maltz does not disappoint:

Another outlet seemingly determined to distort hard geographic truths for the delectation and delight of their readership, is the Times of Israel. TOI was slightly more in tune with reality than some other outlets, when it referred to Har Homa as “southern East Jerusalem” in a recent report on a nearby stabbing attack. Ah well, if only the word “East” hadn’t been next to “southern.” Also, weirdly, “East” is capitalized while “southern” is not. TOI seems to think that “southern” is a direction” while “East Jerusalem” is a distinct city—one apparently not belonging to Jews.

But of course, no matter how you slice it, the label of “southern East Jerusalem” is erroneous. Its use by TOI suggests to this writer, at least, that the media outlet is carrying water for the wrong side.

The Jerusalem Post carried a similar piece that same day, September 18, 2023, with the caption on the feature photo referring to the “har Homa neighborhood of East Jerusalem.” Here “east” is capitalized where it shouldn’t be, while the “Har” of “Har Homa” is not, when it should be (much as the “New” of “New York” is always capitalized).

Writer Seth Frantzman, meanwhile, tells his readers that the “Mazmuriyeh crossing” is “near east Jerusalem.”

It is not. Capitalized or otherwise. But good for him for not capitalizing that E. Maybe this will give him/the JPost some brownie points for Yom Kippur?

Did any outlet get the location right in reporting that recent attack? The Jewish Press did. Kudos to them for bucking the trend by correctly stating that Har Homa is in “southern Jerusalem.”