The Jerusalem Province has issued a warning about the potential dangers of exploiting Jewish holidays to impose new realities on the ground and restrict the movement of Palestinians. 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 province expressed concern about the impact of these actions on the daily lives of Palestinians in Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Province reported that Israeli occupation forces closed the Wadi Rababa intersection in the town of Silwan, causing traffic congestion in the surrounding streets as students tried to get to school. Additionally, the forces closed Bab al-Asbat street towards the Bab al-Rahma and Bab al-Magharba areas, with expectations that further closures would be implemented on roads leading to the Western Wall to secure the movement of settlers participating in group religious rituals.
The province emphasized that these measures are not just temporary security arrangements but constitute collective punishment for Palestinians, systematic restrictions on their movement, and the exploitation of the city and its facilities for the benefit of settlers' rituals. This situation forces Jerusalem residents to bear the burden of closures and congestion, disrupting their daily activities and freedom of movement.
The Jerusalem Province stressed that protecting settlers during their raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque cannot be separated from the Israeli occupation's procedures in the Old City, Silwan, and the mosque's surroundings. These procedures include street closures, tightening military measures, and restricting Palestinian movement, effectively turning Jerusalem into a city managed according to the needs and rituals of settlers.
The province warned that Al-Aqsa Mosque is not an open arena for Israeli occupation authorities and settlers to experiment with or reenact historical rituals at the expense of the mosque's Islamic identity. It cautioned that continued practices of this nature threaten to ignite tensions in Jerusalem and the entire region.
The Jerusalem Province called on the international community, Arab and Islamic countries, and relevant international institutions to assume their legal, political, and moral responsibilities. It urged them to take immediate action to halt settler incursions and provocative rituals within Al-Aqsa Mosque and pressure the Israeli occupation government to stop measures targeting freedom of worship and the historical and legal status quo of the mosque.
The province also called for documenting all violations witnessed in Jerusalem during the Hebrew holidays, including incursions, prayers, rituals, closures, and restrictions on Palestinian movement. It viewed these actions as part of a comprehensive policy aimed at altering the religious and cultural landscape of the city and imposing new realities by force.
Key points
- The Jerusalem Province warns of the dangers of exploiting Jewish holidays to impose new realities on the ground.
- Israeli occupation forces have escalated their violations in Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
- The province has called on the international community to take immediate action to halt settler incursions and provocative rituals within Al-Aqsa Mosque.
