Sorry my readers.. My pen is still ill of the continuous events that occur in Palestine. He moves from a tragic situation to another that full of sadness. My pen wrote about Gaza, west bank and Jerusalem. He wrote about the 1984 occupied lands. One day he told me something made me angry and depressed. He told me that there are no other pens share him to show the truth of what is going on in Palestine to the world. Then I replied with tears that there are many pens and they write everything about this land, but he said that there are pens without leads or ink… They just imitate to write something about Palestine and its issues, but they don`t write. I then petted him gently and assured him by telling him not to be sad. I wiped his tears, the tears was so hot and made me trembled. I told him that if he moans a lot and stops writing, no one will protect the Palestinian issues. I asked him to be an example of other pens in trying to write something about this holy land. I asked him to try to protect the ignored truth of Palestine. Then my pen understood and hugged me a final hug before he went to his work. He told me that he will write an article about the oldest oppressed daughter of Palestine. He told me that he will write an article about Jerusalem and what is happening in it called JERUSALEM IS STILL ALIVE.
He chose this title in order to remind the people who are sleeping now in deep dreams. His aim is to remind the deaf who say that the old city will die and erased from the map. He chose this title to say without fear that Jerusalem will still as it was and as it is.
My pen began speaking” Jerusalem city is one of the oldest cities of the ancient world. It is also called the old city because it has been established since thousands of years. This old city has witnessed many kingdoms and empires. The first people who lived in this city were in 3000 BC called the Ken`an tribes. They lived there in a safe and secure life. They constructed Palestine and named it with their name” The Land of Ken`an”.
After a period of time, the Persian settled in the holy city in 586 BC and they established their empire. They governed Palestine and its people before the Great Alexander entered it in 232 BC. He failed in governing it, so the chaos filled Palestine. After that and in 636 AD, Jerusalem became under the control of Muslims after they had entered it. Muslims considered it as an important place for them because Allah (God) mentioned it in the Holy Quran. Allah says in El Israa Sura” Glory to( Allah) who did take his servant for a journey by night from the sacred mosque to the farthest mosque, whose precincts we did bless, in order that we show him some of ours signs: for he is the one who hearth and seeth all things”. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has made a journey to the seventh sky from this holy place so that why Muslims considered it as a holy place.
After the Muslims have defeated the Romans in El- Yarmouk battle in 636 AD, the Kalif Omar Ben El-Khatab entered the city of Jerusalem and gave the security to its people. He allowed Christians to worship as they want in their churches and live in a safe life without any intervention, but he prevented Jews to live in Jerusalem with the Muslims and Christians.
Then the Umayyads and Abbasids came to Palestine and there was a great leader called Abdulamalik Ben Marwan who has built the Dome of the Rock in 691 AD. They continued their developing in the old city. They built many domes and mosques there for worshiping.
In 969 AD, the Fatimds and Asaljqah have occupied Jerusalem. Their ruling was so harsh with the people so that they destroyed El-Keyamah church and many other places. After that time, the crusaders overcame Jerusalem again from 1099 to 1187. They tortured its people and killed many of them. But the Muslims got their victory when the leader Salah El-deen El-Ayoubi liberated it in Hitin battle. He destroyed what crusaders have built and began to achieve the justice again. Then he spread the Islam religion in every place in Palestine again. He established many institutions and schools. Also he built a great hospital called Pemaristan. He ordered to build the Jerusalem wall to protect the old city from assaults.
After the golden period of Salah El-deen, the Mamluks governed the holy city in 1253. They did not stop developing it and continued what Salah El-Deen began. They reconstructed the Dome of the Rock and built many institutions. They related Jerusalem to Cairo where there government was, after it was related to Damascus. They built many schools like El-Soltaneiah and El-tankaziya schools. In this Mamluks period, Jerusalem became one of the most important places of education, so many students and teachers came to it from many far places to study and teach.
In the 1516, the Ottomans vanquished the Mamluks in mardg Dabeq battle and they assault Jerusalem. They also developed and constructed this city. They built mosques and hospices. The Ottomans stayed in Jerusalem until the First World War in 1917 when the allies occupied Palestine after Ottomans have been rejected from it. The Britain government stayed in Palestine until 1948 when the Jews came to Palestine and established their country on the 5th of may 1948. But Palestine is still Palestine and it will be forever.
Now after my pen had told what he insisted to speak about, he called the honored leaders to save Jerusalem before it dies. He sent me a message from Palestine tells” where are the people who always say that they will protect me and my children? My children are being spoiled by the occupation. They are suffering and torturing. Where are my supporters? Where are my old friends? Did they forget that I and my children were protecting and freeing many countries? Did they forget my efforts with them? Did they forget that they have holy places here in my heart? Did they forget that there is a holy Mosque in the Jerusalem? Did they forget Gaza and Hebron? Did they forget the 1948 occupied lands? Did they forget the mother of mothers? I think yes they forgot everything. They forgot me and my children. They try to remove my name in order not to have headache. They just want us to be murders by the occupation. I know that many people say that I`m wrong and there are many good and supporter people, but I say to them that I don`t need just help, but I need prayers and protection. I love the good people who support and love us. I love the people who pray for us. I also of course love my family”. Finally my pen concluded his article to ask the people to pray for PALESTINE.
An Oppressed pen 
Done by Mohammad Arafat