President of Al-Quds Open University: “Jews have no religious connection” to Jerusalem

Headline: “The president of Al-Quds Open University met with a delegation from an Italian…[School]”

“President of Al-Quds Open University Prof. Younes Amr met in his office in Ramallah with a delegation from a… school that came from Naples, Italy… Amr explained to the guest delegation about the establishment of the university and its pedagogical philosophy…

He talked about the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict and noted that the Muslims and Christians’ connection to Jerusalem is a religious connection, while the Jews have no religious connection to it (sic., mentions of Jerusalem abound in Jewish religious texts; see note below).”

“Jerusalem” is mentioned in the Jewish Bible 669 times and “Zion,” another name often used for Jerusalem, appears 154 times, a total of 823 references. Claims that Jerusalem is not called “holy” in Jewish texts are likewise false. Jerusalem was called holy more than a thousand years before Islam was founded. Here is one among numerous examples: “Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city” (Isaiah 52:1).
Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Quran.