Ya Quds Academic Cultural News Letter, Issue No. 1

In this issue, we introduce CJS and its programmes. The newsletter also contains short articles and essays in English and Arabic written by academics, researchers, students, and others interested in the city and society of Jerusalem. We do not focus on a specific theme but have rather left it up to individual contributors to decide upon topics of interest to them under the general rubric of Jerusalem. We would like to thank the President of the University, Prof. Dr. Imad Abu Kishek, for his support and introductory words presenting the various institutions of Al- Quds University in Jerusalem. We would also like to thank Dr. Safa Nassereldin, Vice President for Jerusalem Affairs for her constant support, as well as the staff of CJS for their assistance in making this issue possible. Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have contributed to this first issue of Ya Quds!. Despite the tense situation reigning today in the Old City of Jerusalem, we at CJS are committed to maintaining our presence there as an academic and cultural institution in Suq Al-Qattanin (the Cotton Market) in the Old City of Jerusalem, on the hope that Ya Quds! will become a forum for the many voices of the city. We hereby send out a call for articles for the second issue of Ya Quds!. Articles may be in Arabic or English, should not exceed 1200 words, and should be dedicated to a topic on Jerusalem. The deadline for submission is May 20, 2016. We look forward to your contributions. The newsletter is available online at: www.jerusalem-studies.alquds.ed

Ya Quds Academic Cultural News Letter, Issue No. 3

Greetings and a warm welcome to readers of the third issue of Ya Quds!, which is devoted primarily to a conference held at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem on December 3–5, 2016. Entitled “Production of Inequalities: Realities and Prospects for Change in Jerusalem,” the conference stemmed from joint efforts amongst the Centre for Jerusalem Studies, the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Political Science, the Department of Architecture, and the Faculty of Law of Al- Quds University, a collaboration spurred by the importance of the conference theme on local, regional, and global levels. We would like to offer our sincere thanks to all those who helped in preparing for and running the conference. First and foremost, we would like to thank the administration of the Ghussein Education Fund, in particular Dr. Sari Nusseibeh and Dr. Jamal Nusseibeh. Without the Fund’s generous financial support, the conference would not have been possible. We would also like to thank Al-Quds University President Dr. Imad Abu-Kishk and his deputies, Dr. Hasan Dwiek and Dr. Badīc Sartawi, for their ongoing technical and administrative support for the conference. We would further like to thank the Academic Committee for the conference, composed of Dr. Shukri Abed, Dr. Maha Samman, Dr. Amneh Badran, Dr. Omar Yousef, Dr. Yara Saifi, and Dr. Munir Nusseibeh, as well as the Logistics Committee, composed of Dr. Maha Samman, Dr. Muctaz Al-Qutub, Dr. Ashraf Abu Hilal, Ms. Alya Brejiyeh, and Ms. Dima Nusseibeh, along with the staff of the Al-Quds University Public Relations Office, Mr. Ahmad Bahr and Mr. Aubai Abu Sacdah. Likewise, we offer thanks to the staff of the Faculty of Architecture and the Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Abdl-cAzīz Quntar, as well as to Ms. Hana’ cIriqat, for assisting with the financial aspects of the conference, to Ms. Sahar Shehadeh who is the administrator of Al-Ghussein Fund and to our student volunteers who helped in many different ways to ensure everything proceeded smoothly. During the first day of the three-day conference, participants were led by Dr. Omar Yousef on a tour of the Old City and the Silwan area. In his analysis of the situation, Dr. Yousef emphasized the life of the Palestinian residents in these areas and the challenges they face on a daily basis. The academic sessions of the conference were held during the following two days and were attended by scholars and researchers from Palestinian and foreign universities. 5 This issue of Ya Quds! contains a number of the papers presented during the conference, in the hopes that we can focus attention on some of the important issues that reflect inequality in the city of Jerusalem. Special thanks go to all of the panel organizers and speakers for their valuable contributions. We are also appreciative of the editorial review provided by Dr. Joanne Abed for the English-language section of the issue. We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to submit articles for the next issue of this publication, in Arabic or in English, not to exceed 1,200 words each. The deadline for submitting articles is October 20, 2017

Ya Quds Academic Cultural News Letter, Issue No. 4

This issue of Ya Quds! comes at a time when the Centre for Jerusalem Studies has appointed a new director, Arnan Bashir. We would like to wish him all the best in his endeavours to promote the vision and goals of the Centre. We would like to send out a call for the fifth issue of Ya Quds!, Articles may be in Arabic or English and should not exceed 1200 words. The deadline for submission is September 25, 2018

Towards lean and green thinking in construction projects at Gaza Strip

Background and problem: Integrating lean and green principles while implementing construction project has become an important aspect of modern construction. Lean construction and green building are used to maximize the economic benefits, address quality, reduce waste and minimize the negative environmental impacts in construction. Aims: The objectives of this paper were to measure the degree of knowledge of lean and green approaches in construction industry in Gaza Strip and to identify the most important benefits from application of lean and green in construction. Methodology: Literature review and questionnaire survey were used in this study. A total of 155 copies of the questionnaire were distributed randomly to owners, consultants and contractors in the Gaza Strip, and 119 copies of the questionnaire were received. Results: The results revealed that the awareness level of lean and green construction by owners, consultants and contractors in the construction industry in Gaza Strip is moderate. There are very important benefits of applying lean and green construction such as “reduce non- useful work that does not add value to work”, “reduce the environmental impact of the construction process” and “saving the money needed to complete the project”. Conclusions: It was concluded that integrating both concepts on projects showed that lean leads to green but not necessarily vice versa. The fields of lean and green thinking, however, have been developed largely independent of each other. There is a big gap in the knowledge and application of the lean construction and the green application

YA QUDS! Issue No. 5

Jerusalem is full of stories. When preparing for each issue of Ya Quds!, we receive a good number of literary and social articles as well as poems. We are happy to read them all and learn from them. When reading these writings, we realize that this city is full of treasures and surprises, full of creative abilities and hidden talents. Despite the difficult political, economic, and social conditions, and perhaps because of them, these treasures and talents stem from the strong feelings of Jerusalemites for their city reflecting their hopes for a better future. We thank all those who sent their writings and apologize to those whose articles were not published in this issue

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Background: Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods: The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18-49, 50-69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results: NNVs were more favourable in surgical patients than the general population. The most favourable NNVs were in patients aged 70 years or more needing cancer surgery (351; best case 196, worst case 816) or non-cancer surgery (733; best case 407, worst case 1664). Both exceeded the NNV in the general population (1840; best case 1196, worst case 3066). NNVs for surgical patients remained favourable at a range of SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in sensitivity analysis modelling. Globally, prioritizing preoperative vaccination of patients needing elective surgery ahead of the general population could prevent an additional 58 687 (best case 115 007, worst case 20 177) COVID-19-related deaths in 1 year. Conclusion: As global roll out of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination proceeds, patients needing elective surgery should be prioritized ahead of the general population