Monthly report: A Martyr in Jerusalem…135 Palestinians arrested…26 isolated from Al-Aqsa Mosque and 7 establishments demolished
Tags: Wadi Hilweh Information Center monthly report Wadi Hilweh Information Center monitored the Israeli violations in the city of Jerusalem during the month of May 2015. The occupation forces and settlement organizations continued their assaults in the city of Jerusalem under the protection of the Israeli government resulting in the Martyrdom of Emran Abu Dheim from Jabal Al-Mukabber who was shot in the village of Al-Tur. He forces also arrested 135 Palestinians and isolated 26 others from Al-Aqsa Mosque and also demolished three residential apartments and one building in the city. Martyr in Jerusalem The most significant assault in May occurred when the forces murdered the 42-year old Emran Abu Dheim with cold blood while he was in the village of Al-Tur. The forces shot him under the pretext of attempting to run-over soldiers in the area. Emran left his house at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday 20/5/2015 heading to work in Mount of Olives. Witnesses said that the Martyr tried to make a turn in the middle of the street at the intersection of Al-Tur but was stopped because one truck was unloading vegetables to a nearby store. Israeli forces were stationed on both sides of the street and they suddenly opened fire towards him while he was driving. Abu Dheim has five children where the oldest is 14 and the youngest is 16 months old. The occupation intelligence raided the commercial stores immediately after Abu Dheim was murdered and confiscated the recordings of the surveillance cameras to hide their cold-blooded murder. Murdering was not enough for the occupation authorities as they raided the Martyr’s house and searched it, and also interrogated his wife. The authorities then gave the Martyr’s body to his family under strict conditions by specifying the number of participants in his funeral as well as the time of the funeral. Al-Aqsa Mosque… The extremist Jewish groups continued their regular break-ins to the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque especially on the anniversary of occupying the city of Jerusalem and during the so-called “Shavuot” (Descent of the Torah). In May, more than 690 extremists and 355 Israeli forces broke into Al-Aqsa courtyards. Wadi Hilweh Information Center also monitored the occupation soldiers kidnapping of three females from the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The forces assaulted the females as well as Al-Aqsa guards and other young men to secure the settlers’ break-ins. The Islamic Awqaf intervened and forced the police to release the females under no conditions. During May, a group of settlers assaulted Al-Aqsa guards and some young men during their tour inside the Mosque. The settlers deliberately provoked the people present inside Al-Aqsa through chants of “the Temple is here, Dome of the Rock needs to be removed”. The guards confronted the settlers but the settlers assaulted them with the help of the occupation police. The occupation authorities isolated 26 Palestinians from Al-Aqsa Mosque for durations that varied between one week and six months. Among those isolated were three minors, nine women and Sheikh Kamal Khatib, deputy of Islamic Movement in the 1948 lands, who was isolated for 6 months. The forces also seized 130 meals prepared for fasting Muslims who were planning to break their fast inside the courtyards of Al-Aqsa. Arresting 135 Jerusalemites including 48 minors and 17 females The Information Center monitored the arrest of nearly 135 Jerusalemites including 17 females, 47 minors, a 12-year old child from the Old City of Jerusalem and three old people where the oldest is 69 years old. The arrests mostly took place in the neighborhoods of Silwan (54 detainees), the Old City of Jerusalem (25), the village of Esawyeh (16), Beit Hanina (10) and other neighborhoods such as Al-Tur, Beit Safafa, Shu’fat refugee camp, Sur Baher and Jabal Al-Mukabber. Among the detainees were five school-students that were arrested while carrying their book bags as they were heading to school or leaving school; they were all arrested under the pretext of throwing stones. Occupation forces assaults against Jerusalemites The occupation forces’ assaults against Jerusalemites and their properties continued in the month of May and the “snipers unit” targeted the 10-year old Yehya Sami Amoudi from Shu’fat refugee camp with a rubber bullet in his eye causing him fractures in the skull, nose, jaw in addition to damage to his left ear; note that his left eye was removed due to the injury. It is noteworthy that the occupation forces are stationed on a daily basis in a building established at the entrance of Shu’fat refugee camp across from the military checkpoint, and deliberately stir up trouble in the afternoon when the students leave their schools. During May, the Israeli occupation authorities decided to isolate the 43-year old Mona Shalabi from the city of Jerusalem after her “family reunion” application was denied for “security reasons”. Mona Shalabi is married to the activist and former secretary of Fateh Movement in Jerusalem Omar Shalabi. She had submitted her application 23 years ago and has been living in the neighborhood of Al-Sowaneh since then. She has six children who were all born in the city of Jerusalem. The police also arrested a tractor driver near Herod’s Gate in Jerusalem under the pretext of attempting to run over soldiers, and detained five Jerusalemites in Al-Tur under the pretext of attempting to run over a settler in the area of French Hill; they were subject to field interrogation and were precisely searched. In an attempt to limit the movement of Jerusalemites, the occupation authorities placed cement cubes in a land in the village of Jabal Al-Mukabber that is used as a parking lot for the locals of the village. The Israeli police also violated the freedom of speech and suppressed a sit-in that was organized to condemn the march of “Unification of Jerusalem”, and assaulted Palestinians while providing full protection to settlers. Within the policy of confiscating lands in Jerusalem, the occupation authorities decided to seize 8200 meters of land in the eastern part of Esawyeh as ordered by the Commander of Israeli occupation forces “Netsan Alon”. The forces also assaulted the Jerusalemite Nihaya Mheisen while she was heading home using public transportation. The forces made all passengers leave the vehicle and threaten to use force if she doesn’t take off her clothes in order to search her; her husband and son were also assaulted and arrested. During last month, the daily clashes did not stop in the Jerusalemite neighborhoods especially in Silwan, Al-Tur, Esawyeh and Shu’fat refugee camp due to the presence of settlers in the settlement outposts or the presence of occupation forces who establish checkpoints in the streets; note that Israeli forces used live bullets in the neighborhood of Ein Al-Lozeh in Silwan in May. Assaults by light rail’s guards The light rail’s guards continued their assaults against Jerusalemites and opened fire towards the 35-year old Hatem Salah from Shu’fat refugee camp and injured him in his leg. The guards claimed that Hatem attacked them and intended to carry out a stabbing attack, but the police revealed the next day that Hatem did not intent to stab the guards and did not have any sharp tools on him and was only carrying his belt in his hand. It turned out that the guards had assaulted Hatem a day before he was shot. The guards also assaulted three members of Abed Rabbo family (girl, woman and young man) after claiming that the girl did not buy a ticket for the train; they were assaulted and beaten with the help of Special Forces personnel. A settlement plan to confiscate wide areas of land in the neighborhood of Batn Al-Hawa Wadi Hilweh Information Center-Silwan obtained a map and aerial photographs illustrating one of the plans of “Ateret Cohanim” in the “Middle Neighborhood” and revealed their intention to confiscate nearly 5200 square meters under the pretext of being owned by the Jews of Yemen since 1881. The targeted area is divided into 6 pieces of land (numbers: 73, 75, 88, 95, 96 and 97) and the settlement organization claim that the Israeli Supreme Court approved the ownership of settlers from Yemen to lands in Batn Al-Hawa. The lands at risk of being confiscated currently have 30-35 residential apartments established on them where 80 families and nearly 300 individuals live. All the residents have been living in the neighborhood since the 1960’s after they bought the lands and property from the previous owners using official documents. Settlers also took over three apartments owned by Abu Nab family in the “Middle Neighborhood” in Silwan under the protection of occupation forces. Demolishing seven residential and commercial establishments During May, the occupation municipality’s bulldozers did not take a break from demolishing Jerusalemites’ establishments under the pretext of building without a permit. The municipality demolished three residential apartments and one under-construction building that consisted of 8 apartments and three commercial stores in Ein Al-Lozeh, Wad Qaddoum and the neighborhood of Sweih in Silwan.
