The Jerusalem Governorate has warned of the dangers of exploiting Jewish holidays to impose new realities on the ground, storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and disrupting the lives of Jerusalemites and their daily movement. This warning comes as Israeli occupation authorities and settlers escalate their violations in the city during the third day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
The Governorate stated that Israeli forces closed the Wadi Rababa intersection in the town of Silwan since morning, causing severe traffic congestion in the surrounding streets as students headed to school. They also closed Bab al-Asbat street towards Bab al-Rahma and Bab al-Magharba, expecting further closures on roads leading to the Western Wall to secure the movement of participating settlers in collective religious rituals.
These measures are not just temporary security arrangements but constitute collective punishment for Jerusalemites, systematic restriction of their movement, and utilization of the city, its facilities, and streets to serve the rituals of settlers. Residents of Jerusalem bear the burden of closures, congestion, and disruption of their interests and freedom of movement.
The Governorate emphasized that protecting settlers during their storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is inextricably linked to the Israeli occupation's procedures accompanying it in the Old City, Silwan, and the Mosque's surroundings. This includes street closures, tightening military procedures, and disrupting Palestinian movement, effectively turning Jerusalem into a city managed according to the needs and rituals of settlers.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is not an open arena for Israeli occupation authorities and settlers to experiment with, nor a place to recreate alleged historical rituals at the expense of the Mosque's Islamic identity. The Governorate warned that continued practices threaten to explode the situation in Jerusalem and the entire region.
The Governorate called upon the international community, Arab and Islamic countries, and relevant international institutions to assume their legal, political, and moral responsibilities. They urged immediate action to stop incursions and provocative rituals within the Al-Aqsa Mosque and pressure the Israeli occupation government to halt procedures targeting freedom of worship and the existing historical and legal status of the Mosque.
The Governorate also called for documenting all violations witnessed in Jerusalem during the Hebrew holidays, including incursions, prayers, rituals, closures, and restrictions on Jerusalemites' movement. They stressed that Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa will remain symbols of Palestinian national and religious identity, and Israeli occupation procedures and settler practices will not grant the occupation legitimacy over the Mosque or change its religious and legal status.
Key points
- The Jerusalem Governorate warns that Israeli measures during Jewish holidays constitute collective punishment for Jerusalemites.
- The Governorate calls for international action to stop Israeli incursions and provocative rituals within the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- The Governorate emphasizes that Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa will remain symbols of Palestinian national and religious identity.
