July 2020… Continuing arrests, targeting Jerusalemite institutions…and an escalation in demolitions
Wadi Hilweh Information Center issued its monthly report for the month of July, during which it monitored the Israeli violations in Jerusalem.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center said that the occupation authorities continued their violations and repressive practices in the city of Jerusalem, with daily arrests, escalating the demolition operations and displacing the population.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Last July, the occupation Court issued a decision to close Bab al-Rahma chapel inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the occupation police directorate sent a letter addressed to the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem to inform it of the court’s decision, while the religious references (the Supreme Islamic Commission, the Council of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, the Fatwa House and the Supreme Judge Department) said in a statement that Bab al-Rahma chapel is an integral part of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is for Muslims alone by a divine decision that is not subject to discussion, nor negotiation.
The settlers' incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque continued to take place on a daily basis, except on Friday and Saturday of each week, during two periods "morning and afternoon prayer", through Dung Gate, whose keys have been controlled by the occupation authorities since the occupation of Jerusalem. Settlers intensified their incursions during the so-called period of the “Destruction of the Temple".
And at the end of last July, on the eve of Eid al-Adha (Arafeh Day), dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, performing their religious rituals and prayers and hoisting the Israeli flag in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa, taking memorial photos of them with the protection of the occupation forces, amid restrictions imposed on worshipers, and the evacuation of courtyards in Al-Aqsa to facilitate their storming.
Arrests
The occupation authorities continued to carry out arrest campaigns in the city of Jerusalem. Wadi Hilweh Information Center monitored 201 arrests in the city, and the village of Issawiya recorded the highest number of arrests.
The Information Center stated that among the detainees last month was the governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Ghaith, who was arrested from his home in Silwan and transferred to the cells of Ashkelon prison where he spent about 3 weeks and was investigated by the occupation intelligence. The forces also arrested the secretary of Fateh movement in Jerusalem, Shady Mattour, during a sit-in against the arrest of Governor Ghaith in front of the Magistrate's Court building in West Jerusalem.
The occupation authorities also carried out dozens of arrests from Jerusalem on the day of announcing the results of the "high school" exams, under the pretext of using fireworks in the city. The Israeli police stated in a statement that they had arrested 39 Jerusalemites on the eve of the announcement of the results and the day of the results.
The occupation authorities issued 14 expulsions and deportation decisions: 9 expulsion decisions from Al-Aqsa Mosque, 3 deportation orders from Jerusalem, and 2 from the Old City of Jerusalem.
Targeting Jerusalem institutions
Last July, the occupation authorities continued their crackdown on the Jerusalem institutions operating in the city. They stormed Yabous Cultural Center and the National Institute of Music in Al-Zahra Street in Jerusalem, and confiscated files, computers and private documents, after thoroughly searching them for several hours. They also arrested the director of Yabous Center, Rania. Elias, and the Director of the National Institute, Suheil Khoury.
The occupation forces stormed the Center for the Arab Studies Association in Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem, and confiscated some of its contents and arrested its director, Khalil Tafakji.
Demolition
The occupation municipality continued to demolish facilities in the city of Jerusalem, under the pretext of building without a permit, at a time when it imposes impossible conditions and huge amounts of licensing procedures, which extend for many years. The municipality forced Jerusalemites to self-demolish their homes, after being threatened with huge fines and the demolition fee to the municipality.
The Information Center monitored the demolition of 20 facilities in Jerusalem last July, including 4 structures demolished by their owners, and they were as follows: 11 houses, two commercial establishments, 1 barracks for livestock, a fence, an agricultural room, and 3 stores.
The largest number of facilities demolished was in the village of Jabal Al-Mukabber.
On the other hand, the occupation authorities placed eviction notices on dozens of acres in the village of Issawiya, under the pretext of being owned by the State of Israel.
The Nature and Parks Authority also confiscated a plot of land in Silwan and demolished the warehouses built on it for decades, under the pretext of "public benefit."
Last month, the occupation authorities confiscated dozens of food parcels in the neighborhood of Wadi Al-Joz, and also confiscated sheep during Eid al-Adha from the village of Issawiya.
