The Directorate of the Old City of Damascus reopened the ancient Khan Asaad Pasha to the public, on Wednesday, declaring “abandonment” on the idea of investing it in the form of a tourist hotel, after a wave of widespread criticism for the lack of transparency in the decision, coinciding with a similar controversy that arose in the city of Homs related to a private sector company undertaking the rehabilitation work of the Al-Zahrawi and Mufid Al-Amin archaeological palaces, with the aim of investing each of them as a tourist restaurant.
Director of the Directorate, Amjad Al-Farkh, said in a special statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that the procedure to close and seal the property “was temporary with the aim of resolving the controversy over the future employment of the Khan, and setting a decisive point regarding the proposal to reuse it as a hotel facility.”
After consultation with the Ministry of Culture and the Governor of Damascus, it was approved to keep Khan Asaad Pasha as a cultural space with a cultural function commensurate with its historical and architectural value, according to Al-Farkh, who stressed the connection between the idea of investing in the Khan economically while preserving its identity, making it available to the public, and preserving its role within the historical fabric of the old city.
Khan Asaad Pasha is considered one of the most luxurious and spacious khans in Damascus. It was built by the governor of Damascus, Asaad Pasha Al-Azm, in 1751, on an area of 2,500 square meters in the heart of the Al-Buzuriyah market, to the southeast of the Umayyad Mosque, only 4 years after the construction of Al-Azm Palace.
On Tuesday, the Old Damascus Directorate in Damascus Governorate issued a decision to temporarily close Khan Asaad Pasha, amid leaks indicating that the site had been transformed into a hotel facility, without prior announcement of the project and the identity of the party implementing it, which sparked a storm of condemnation, as it coincided with a similar controversy related to a private sector company undertaking the rehabilitation of the Al-Zahrawi and Mufid Al-Amin archaeological palaces in the city of Homs, with the aim of investing each of them as a tourist restaurant, under a contract with the Ministry of Culture.
Video clips of construction work within Al-Zahrawi Palace were circulated, contradicting the rules for protecting antiquities and the relevant Syrian law.
Al-Zahrawi Palace, with an area of 811 square meters in the Al-Hamidiyah neighborhood, is one of the ancient houses of Homs. The construction of large parts of it dates back to the Mamluk era, and it was registered in 1967 as an archaeological landmark. In 1978, it was acquired by the Directorate of Antiquities and Museums. After a wave of criticism of the process of rehabilitating it as a restaurant, the project was stopped, without it being clear whether the suspension was temporary or permanent.
“Most of the investment projects proposed for implementation in Syria over the past year lacked transparency,” according to activist Fadi Zidan. There is a state of chaos and lack of transparency that prevents identifying the reasons or who is responsible for what is happening. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Khan Asaad Pasha falls within the jurisdiction of 4 parties: Damascus Governorate, and the Ministries of Culture, Tourism, and Endowments, which are official bodies, communication between which is still carried out through paper correspondence, while there are parties that want to pass implementation decisions in a hurry, pointing out that the idea of converting the khan into a hotel was raised months ago, and it was expected that a book of conditions would be announced, but we were surprised that the book was passed within a closed group, without a clear reason for that.
Zidane, who tried with a civil society group to put pressure to withdraw from the project to transform the khan into a hotel, warned against any projects that might threaten the identity of the ancient city, and against harming the sites included on the World Heritage List.
Damascus is still subject to intense monitoring by UNESCO, as it is included on the World Heritage List in Danger.
Fadi Zidane expressed the fear that the weakness of the capabilities necessary to protect and maintain archaeological sites at the Ministry of Culture and Conservation would be a justification for accepting the investor’s conditions, as part of a general government trend towards privatization.
However, the director of the Old Damascus Directorate, Amjad Al-Farkh, stressed that investing in archaeological sites in Damascus is subject to a set of controls, emphasizing the necessity of starting first from the nature of the old city. He said: We are not “talking about separate archaeological buildings, but rather a living and interconnected historical city that forms a single social, economic, urban and heritage fabric.” Therefore, investment cannot and should not be excluded from the city, because it is part of the continuation of its life, but it must take place within clear and precise controls...
The first is that the investment should not leave a negative impact on the structural safety or the architectural and archaeological value of the property, and that the new function should not require fundamental modifications that make the building lose its characteristics or originality.
Secondly, the investment must have a positive impact on the social and economic fabric surrounding it, meaning that we do not measure the success of the project only through its direct economic return, but rather through its impact on the population, crafts, markets, local activities, and the continuity of life within the old city.
Third, taking into account the ability of the city’s infrastructure to accommodate the new activity. The infrastructure in large parts of Old Damascus is “old and sensitive,” and any activity that generates large additional loads in terms of water, sewage, energy, waste, and the movement of visitors and vehicles must be subject to careful study.
Al-Farkh adds that the investment is also supposed to achieve added value to the property itself, whether by ensuring regular maintenance, structural protection, and extending the life of the building, or by repurposing it in a way that maintains its value.
He called for searching for “new patterns of investment and attracting investments of a cultural and heritage nature and not being limited to the traditional tourism model based on hotels and restaurants,” stressing the need for investment to be a tool for strengthening the social, economic and urban fabric, and not a reason for weakening or replacing it.
He said, “A historic city that loses its population and activities may preserve its buildings, but it loses its living spirit.” He expressed his aspiration to “make heritage itself a producer of value, not to consume heritage in order to achieve short-term investment value.”
He believed that Damascus has “an important opportunity to reintroduce itself, not only as a tourist destination, but as a living heritage and cultural habitat that possesses an exceptional wealth of crafts, knowledge, markets, and cultural products that are associated with its name.”
On the third anniversary of October 7, the Israeli army launched an operation in the West Bank aimed at demolishing memorials and memorial photos of Palestinian fighters, who were assassinated or during confrontations with Israeli forces, and who later became symbols in their regions or at the Palestinian level.
The Israeli army began the operation, at dawn on Wednesday, in the northern West Bank, in Nablus and Jenin, and demolished several memorials to Palestinian fighters there. This operation will expand to include the rest of the West Bank later.
The Israeli army said, according to Israeli media, that its operation, in which several units participated, aimed to demolish dozens of “infrastructures for incitement to terrorism,” including memorials erected to honor Palestinian militants, in a number of Palestinian cities, villages, and towns in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli army targets at least 50 monuments in the West Bank.
The operation came two days after the army stormed Birzeit University in Ramallah and demolished a monument there to the university’s martyrs. Although the demolition of memorials to Palestinian symbols and the destruction of pictures and banners in the West Bank began after October 7, this time the army wanted to turn the matter into an official military operation with objectives.
The army apparently wants to show off more on the October anniversary and send a message to the Palestinians that it is the owner of the place, by waging a war on political and national symbols in addition to the ongoing war against its presence.
A Palestinian security source told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Everything Israel does will not change reality.” He added: “They may kill people, they may destroy the stone, but they will not destroy Palestine. They will not destroy memory and will not erase national symbols.”
He continued: “Israel wants to say that it is the owner of the place and the owner of sovereignty in the West Bank in the context of the ongoing war against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza in order to displace them and liquidate the issue. They address the Palestinians and warn them against glorifying everything that is national and promise them destruction similar to Gaza. It is clear that they are showing off on the anniversary of October 7th as part of a raging election campaign.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich entered the line and tried to claim “credit” for the demolition of the monument in the West Bank. He said that the army began its operation after the survey it ordered on behalf of the army, to identify the monuments erected to commemorate those he described as “vandals.” He added: “We impose sovereignty on the ground and make clear: There is no place for supporting (terrorism).”
The Israeli army had left notices and leaflets in large areas in the West Bank, saying that its forces were working to remove monuments that “glorify terrorists.” The army addressed the Palestinians, saying that anyone who “glorifies terrorism” or supports it will be arrested on charges of “incitement,” and that any monument erected for this purpose will be demolished.
The army also said in statements made everywhere in the West Bank that “terrorism has not and will not bring anything but destruction and devastation,” with pictures of the Gaza Strip. In addition to demolishing the monument, the army removed pictures of Palestinian fighters.
The Palestinians are keen to glorify national symbols, fighters and militants by erecting memorials in the heart of cities, villages and camps, while many of their pictures fill the walls and streets, and streets and squares are named after them.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said, “The army, coinciding with the three-year anniversary of the October 7 attack, began the process of removing monuments and pictures and arresting everyone who glorifies action against Israel.”
According to the newspaper, the forces stormed Nablus and Jenin and began arresting wanted persons and extensively destroying memorials commemorating Palestinian fighters. Various units participated in the operation, including Musta’rab units.
Yedioth Ahronoth confirmed that the arrests included supporters of October 7, including the perpetrators of the attacks (prisoners) who were released in recent deals. Israeli operations in the West Bank included, in addition to Nablus and Jenin, northwest of Jerusalem, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, and Tubas.
The Israeli army arrested more than 50 Palestinians, and killed a man named Ali Al-Bazzari in clashes that broke out between Palestinians and settlers who attacked olive pickers in the town of Burqa, northwest of Nablus, and also left 16 wounded. It also wounded a young man in Jenin, and bombed the house of prisoner Qadri Samara in the town of Biddu, near Jerusalem.
In addition to the army operations, on the anniversary of October 7, settlers attacked several areas in the West Bank.
The most violent attack was recorded in Burqa, where a Palestinian was killed, in addition to attacks in Al-Mughayir, northeast of Ramallah, which included settlers burning a vehicle belonging to foreign journalists and attacking homes.
Settlers also attacked a vehicle in Deir Nizam, northwest of Ramallah, and wrote racist slogans on homes. In the northern Jordan Valley, settlers continued the work of bulldozing and expanding the Al-Hamma Spring in preparation for controlling it.
Yedioth Ahronoth said that the operation carried out by the army on the anniversary of October 7 is of special importance, and it is making an effort to remove the largest number of memorials in the West Bank during this period.
The head of the Yashar Party, Gadi Eisenkot, the prominent candidate to head the Israeli government, warned current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of war adventures on the eve of the elections.
Eisenkot said, “This government, after failing to protect the security of Israelis and feeling that the public will punish it for its failures, is showing malicious intentions to prevent the elections from being held.”
Eisenkot's warning coincided with another issued by the head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, MK Avigdor Lieberman, who said that he "fears that Netanyahu will initiate a military operation for electoral purposes only."
Lieberman went directly to the army command, saying: “This is your responsibility as well. These are our soldiers, and if we are going to launch a military operation, it must be for the purpose of decisiveness only, and it cannot be a military operation for electoral goals.” Therefore, I hope that a clear and clear voice will come from the security apparatus, and I very much hope that we will send this October 7th (failure) government home.”
Key leadership elements in the government and the leaders of the security services, who were appointed by Netanyahu himself amid professional reservations about them, had developed several shocking scenarios about the upcoming war, from which it appeared that it was directed against the Palestinians, in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and even in Israel.
Defense Minister Yisrael Katz claimed on Tuesday that Hamas was planning to carry out attacks against Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip, on the anniversary of October 7, while Netanyahu said that Hamas would try to challenge Israel before the Israeli elections scheduled for October 27, which made the opposition mock him, saying: “As far as we know, you said that you defeated Hamas, so how has it become so strong and daring to threaten Israel?”
Kan 11 reported that the last government meeting (Tuesday) was held in a fortified underground site in Jerusalem, and that the ministers were informed of the location two and a half hours before the start of the meeting, and that during the meeting it was approved to extend the state of emergency on the Israeli home front until October 20 of this year.
Kan added that, according to what was stated in a statement from Netanyahu’s office, the extension of the state of emergency was due to “continued firing in various forms from Iran and Yemen towards various countries in the Middle East, and that there is uncertainty regarding the two fronts in Iran and Lebanon, and therefore, according to the estimates of the security authorities, there is still a high possibility of attacks on the civilian population.”
A plan to overthrow power
At the time the government met, the Hebrew press published reports stating that the government, the army, and various security services had drawn up a plan to overthrow the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, reoccupy it, and eliminate Palestinian security personnel “who dare to fight the Israeli army.”
This came in the context of settlers spreading allegations about the danger of “policemen and the rest of the security services in the Palestinian Authority turning their weapons to the chests of Israelis.” Katz repeated these allegations during the government, which discussed the issue, and said: “The Israeli army is preparing for a scenario in which rifle barrels are turned by the Palestinian Authority (security forces) in the West Bank towards the Israelis. In this case, we will declare war on the Palestinian Authority, and the Israeli army will launch a comprehensive attack.”
He added: “This war will be short and intense, and will include the use of ground and air forces, the use of special means, the assassination and exile of leaders, the destruction of weapons and combat means, the evacuation of residents from large areas, and the destruction of terrorist infrastructure inside cities and in all refugee camps in the West Bank, according to the model of Gaza and Lebanon, in addition to strengthening forces and defending settlements.”
Katz continued, "It will not be an uprising that lasts for years as it was in the past, but rather a short and intense war with a clear resolution and a change in reality."
Expanding the scope of the threat
After this publication, other warlike statements were made to expand the scope of the threat, so that this time it included the Palestinians of the “48,” and were conveyed by David Zinni, head of the Shin Bet, during the government session. Zinni claimed the existence of what he described as “military structures” and attempts to form armed groups of a paramilitary nature in Bedouin communities in the Negev, claiming that some of them have links to Palestinian organizations such as “Hamas.”
According to a report published on the website of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper (Ynet), on Tuesday evening, Zinni made these statements during a meeting of the Israeli Ministerial Council for Political and Security Affairs (Cabinet), on Monday, devoted to discussing what Israel describes as security threats in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, and he repeated them before the government.
Zinni said, “There are places in the Bedouin communities where there are military structures and attempts to establish military-like brigades, and this is a very disturbing phenomenon,” adding that the Shin Bet is constantly working to thwart what he described as these structures. He claimed that these groups have a “worrying connection” with organizations, including the Hamas movement, while the report did not provide detailed information about the size of these groups, their locations, their structure, or the nature of the alleged connection to Palestinian organizations, pointing out that these groups operate very close to Dimona.
Zaini's allegations come in light of a broader crisis related to the spread of unlicensed weapons and crime in the Negev, and the continuation of weapons smuggling operations across the Egyptian and Jordanian borders, including operations using drones.
