Monthly report: A dangerous escalation at Al-Aqsa…arresting nearly 300 Jerusalemites
The occupation authorities escalated their violations and assaults against Jerusalemites, their properties and holy sites during the month of September. Wadi Hilweh Information Center said in its monthly report that the occupation authorities targeted human, trees and property in which the most prominent of these violations was against Al-Aqsa Mosque. Educational and medical institutions and their staff were also assaulted by the occupation authorities’ assaults as well as media crews, sports clubs and Islamic cemeteries. The center said in its monthly report: “The occupation forces raided Al-Aqsa Mosque five times while fully armed and closed it in front of Muslim worshippers ten times. They also assaulted all the people present inside Al-Aqsa and at its gates including women and Al-Aqsa guards and also damaged the historical windows and burned carpets and wooden doors. The number of detainees in September was the highest since the beginning of the year after a new unit was formed to chase stone and Molotov Cocktails throwers in Jerusalem concurrently with the Jewish holidays. Al-Aqsa Mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque was the highlight of events during September as the occupation authorities and Israeli settlers escalated their assaults and violations at Al-Aqsa during the Jewish holidays which was taken as a chance to break-into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa, close its gates and prevent Muslims from entering in addition to turning it into a battle field; note that the Jewish New Year and Sukkot holidays fell into the month of September. During September 2015, the armed Israeli forces (Special Forces, snipers, Intelligence and police) raided the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque five time on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 27th and 28th of September and attacked worshippers who were mostly old people with sound grenades, rubber bullets and pepper gas; they also harassed and beat them with batons. The forces surrounded Al-Qibali Mosque and closed its gates with iron chains and wooden blocks and also ascended on its roof. The occupation authorities deliberately damaged historical parts during the raid and also damaged the protection bars on the windows using special tools. They also deliberately fired sound grenades inside Al-Qibali Mosque causing several square meters of the carpet to burn. During the raids, the occupation authorities closed Al-Aqsa Mosque in front of Muslims. On the 13th of September, the forces prevented young men from entering Al-Aqsa to perform the Dawn Prayer, and prevented all Muslims from entering after 6:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. On this day, the forces also assaulted the employees of Al-Awqaf Islamic Department and beat the director of Al-Aqsa Mosque and fired a sound grenade towards him. They also assaulted and beat Al-Aqsa guards and evacuated them by force from the courtyards through Al-Silsileh, Dung and Al-Majles gates. During raids, the forces deliberately fired sound grenades towards Al-Qibali Mosque which led to the burning of several square meters of carpet. The occupation authorities closed Al-Aqsa Mosque in front of Muslim during the raids. On the 13th of the month, the forces prevented young men from entering Al-Aqsa to perform the Dawn Prayer, and prevented all Muslims from entering after 6:30 a.m. and until 11 a.m. On this day, the forces assaulted the employees of the Islamic Awqaf department and assaulted Al-Awqaf director as well with a sound grenade; they also beat Al-Aqsa guards and evacuated them from the courtyards by force through Al-Silsileh, Dung and Al-Majles gates. On the 14th of September and for the first time, the occupation authorities executed arrests from inside Al-Qibali Mosque after breaking into it and prevented those under the age of 45 from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque. The forces also raided Al-Qibali Mosque on the 15th and arrested one young man. On the 27th of the month, fourth day Al-Adha holiday, the forces raided Al-Aqsa and limited clashes broke out in the courtyards after worshippers were trapped inside Al-Qibali Mosque, while on the 28th of the month, the forces brought iron shields inside Al-Aqsa through Dung Gate for the first time to protect themselves from stones, and also for the first time the forces did not withdraw from the courtyards after clashes were over but were stationed for nearly half an hour near the eastern side of Al-Aqsa snipers were stationed on the roofs. Prayers at Al-Aqsa Gates The series of assaults against Al-Aqsa Mosque continued and occupation authorities prevented Muslims from entering and praying at Al-Aqsa which forced them to pray at Al-Aqsa gates. On the 13th of September, they performed the Dawn Prayer at the gates, the Night Prayer on the 21st, all five Prayers on the 22nd, Dawn Prayer on the 23rd after men under the age of 40 were prevented from entering Al-Aqsa, Evening and Night Prayers on the 27th after men under the age of 50 were prevented from entering, and on the 28th, 29th and 30th all five Prayers were held at Al-Aqsa gates including women as females under the age of 50 were prevented from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque. Preventing the Friday Noon Prayer The occupation authorities imposed restrictions on the Friday Dawn and Noon Prayers on the 18th of September as men under the age of 40 were prevented from entering Al-Aqsa. Accordingly, hundreds of young men performed the Noon Prayer in the streets of Jerusalem during which Israeli forces assaulted the worshippers in the streets with beating and pushing. Settlers break into Al-Aqsa Mosque During September, 1575 settlers including the Minister of Agriculture, Uri Ariel, broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque. The last day of the month witnessed the largest number of settlers breaking into Al-Aqsa (257) followed by the 29th of the month (178), and the Jewish New Year’s Eve (158); note that some settlers performed their religious rituals inside he courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque. “Black List” The occupation police prepared a list of nearly 60 female names including journalists known as the “black list” following an order from the Chief of Israeli police in the Old City of Jerusalem, Avi Baytoon, against women who create problems inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. Every female attempting to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque has to present her ID to have her name checked before entering and if it is not in the list, she will be allowed to enter. It is noteworthy that the list was prepared at the end of last August and names were added to the list as ordered by Avi Baytoon. During the month of September, women included in the list were prevented from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque during the settlers’ break-in session (7 a.m. until 3 p.m.) and women were assaulted with sound grenades and beaten while staying at Al-Aqsa gates; several men were also arrested. In a dangerous escalation, the so-called Minister of Defense, Moshe Yaalon, issued a decision considering the Marabouts at Al-Aqsa Mosque as an “illegal organization” that aims at disturbing public security at Al-Aqsa through obstructing the settlers’ break-ins to Al-Aqsa and creating problems” as recommended by the intelligence service “Shabak” and the Israeli police. Isolations from Al-Aqsa Mosque The occupation authorities isolated 47 Palestinians from Al-Aqsa Mosque last month, and also deported some of the 1948-lands Palestinians from the city of Jerusalem; 9 women were among those isolated and deported. Arrests Wadi Hilweh Information Center monitored nearly 300 arrests during September 2015 including 16 women and 104 minors between 13-17 years old. Also, among the detainees were 21 students aged between 8-17 years that were arrested while going to school or after leaving school; one journalist photographer was also arrested. Among the detainees were also 22 children aged between 8-12 years. Most of them were arrested, detained in the police vehicles or detention centers and interrogated alone without the presence of their parents. In a precedent against children, the Chief of Police in Jerusalem issued a decision to extend the arrest of two children from the village of Esawyeh. During last month, 61 citizens were arrested at Al-Aqsa Gates and from its courtyards. The arrests mostly occurred in Silwan (79) followed by the Old City of Jerusalem (56), Esawyeh (39), Al-Tur (30), Jabal Al-Mukabber (20), Sur Baher (18) and several arrests from Sheikh Jarrah, Beit Hanina, Um Tuba, Shu’fat refugee camp and Wadi Al-Joz. Young men were not given a break from arrests during Al-Adha holiday (24-27 September) as the Israeli forces carried out a series o arrests after raiding and searching houses in an attempt to steal the joy of the holiday and harass Jerusalemites. During the 4-day holiday, the forces arrested 44 Jerusalemites mostly from Silwan and Sur Baher. The number of detainees remarkably increased towards the end of the month in conjunction with the Jewish holidays (New Year and Sukkot) and the formation of a new unit by the occupation police that is focused on arresting stone-and- Molotov Cocktails throwers as ordered by the Chief of Police in Jerusalem. The unit was named “unit of tracking down stone-and Molotov Cocktails-throwers” and is specialized in arresting Jerusalemites and interrogating them regarding the participation in clashes and throwing Molotov Cocktails and stones. The new unit is based at Jabal Al-Mukabber police station “O’z Center”. Since the formation of the unit, 248 Palestinians from Jerusalem were arrested. Violating right to education Since the beginning of the new school-year, the occupation authorities continued violating the Jerusalemite students’ right to education. The three schools that suffered the most were located inside Al-Aqsa Mosque (kindergarten, Al-Aqsa Boys School and Al-Aqsa Girls School) and have more than 500 students enrolled in all of them. During the break-in days and clashes, the occupation forces imposed restrictions on the entrance of students and education was disrupted on the 13th and 15th of the month, and on the 28th was disrupted in the kindergarten and boys school. On the 15th, the director of Dar Al-Aytam School was forced to stop classes during the second class and sent the students home after the occupation forces ascended the roofs near the school and were randomly firing grenades and rubber bullets in the area; Dar Al-Aytam School is located near Al-Majles Gate. A sound grenade was fired towards Princess Basma School for special needs and the school’s guard and two teachers were assaulted. During September, 21 students were arrested while heading to school or after leaving school in the areas of Al-Tur, Old City of Jerusalem, Damascus Gate and Esawyeh. Several students were injured with bruises and some were wounded due to being targeted after they were prevented from reaching their schools. Occupation forces’ assaults The occupation forces targeted the Jerusalemite villages, residents and various institutions during the month of September and ran over one young man in Silwan. In an assault against medical institutions in Jerusalem, a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance was assaulted and under the threat of the weapon the staff was forced to head to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital and the injured young man was arrested. The forces also raided the building of Al-Maqased hospital and searched the emergency and x-ray departments as well as offices and restrooms; they also checked the patients’ records looking for injured people. In an assault against media institutions, the occupation forces raided the office of “Pal Media” in Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and searched the offices and left a call for interrogation for the director. Also, press crews in Jerusalem were subject to beatings, arrest, harassment and various threats while covering the events in the city especially around Al-Aqsa Mosque. The forces also raided Silwan Club in the neighborhood of Ras Al-Amoud twice during September and checked the IDs of young men and took pictures of them. Dead Muslims were also assaulted during September as the settlers and Nature and Parks authority attempted to seize new areas of Al-Rahmeh cemetery and placed barbed wires on some parts of the cemetery; they also stepped on top of the graces and cut several trees to turn it into special paths for “national parks” around the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The village of Esawyeh was directly targeted when entrances were blocked used soil, cement blocks and iron barriers during the whole month. Municipality staff and occupations forces raided the village on an almost a daily basis, infantry units raided the streets of the village, checkpoints were established, young men were searched and rubber bullets and grenades were randomly fired in the village. During September, four children from the village of Esawyeh aged between 11-15 years were injured with “black” rubber bullets (injuries in the head, neck, thigh and back) and suffered wounds and bruises in addition to a state of severe fear. On the eve of Al-Adha holiday, the occupation authorities isolated the city of Jerusalem from its outskirts due to the Jewish holiday “Kippur” neglecting the need of Jerusalemites to shop and move on this day. Wadi Hilweh Information Center monitored the closure of the entrances of Sur Baher, Jabal Al-Mukabber, Esawyeh and Silwan in addition to closing the main streets leading to them and closing the freeways leading to north Jerusalem. Settlers’ assaults At the beginning of September, settlers took over the apartment of the late Jihad Sarhan in the “Middle Neighborhood” in Batn Al-Hawa using ropes in a deal done by “Jamal Sarhan”. Settlers living in the building of Jamal Sarhan which was sold to settlers towards the end of last August were able to enter the apartment of Jihad and also dropped some furniture inside it. While the locals confronted the settlers, police arrived and assaulted and beat them and provided the settlers with full protection to seize the house. Settlers attacked last month the young man Mustafa Jamil Hashlamon and beat him while he was heading to work in West Jerusalem. Also, dozens of settlers protected by Special Forces attacked a group of children in the neighborhood of Batn Al-Hawa in Silwan and sprayed them with pepper gas and fired sound grenades towards them. Demolition The occupation municipality demolished in September an under-construction house in Silwan owned by Abbasi family. They also demolished a farm in the village of Esawyeh that was established 10 years ago; the farm also had two rooms.
