August 2021…An escalation of demolitions in Jerusalem and continuous arrests
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center issued its monthly report for the month of August 2021, during which it monitored the Israeli violations in Jerusalem.
The center said that the occupation authorities escalated the demolition of homes in the city, and continued the daily arrests, and the suppression of activities in the city of Jerusalem.
Demolition and displacement
The occupation municipality escalated the policy of demolishing facilities in the city of Jerusalem, during the month of August, and most of the demolitions were carried out by the owners of their inhabited homes, by a decision of the municipality, whereby the owner of the facility is forced to implement the decision in order to avoid paying fines “demolition fees” to the municipality’s crews, mechanisms and workers.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center monitored the demolition of 19 facilities in Jerusalem last August, 15 of which were carried out by their owners, and among the demolitions carried out by the occupation mechanisms was a "classroom of the Model Kindergarten" in the village of Beit Safafa, south of Jerusalem, despite that the kindergarten owner had demolished the roof of the classroom in order to replace it with a mobile one, by a decision of the municipality, which affected 100 students, aged 3-5 years.
The Khader family in Shu’fat also demolished 5 of their homes, after a decision by the Israeli court to vacate the land in favor of the settlers on the pretext of ownership of the land on which the homes were built.
At the end of last August, while a family in Beit Hanina was carrying out the demolition of their house, a wall fell on the boy Ali Burqan, which led to his death, while helping the family in the self-demolition process.
Also, at the end of last month, the "Nature and Parks Authority crews" demolished part of the wall surrounding the land of the Sumrein family in the Wadi al-Rababeh neighborhood in Silwan, in an attempt to break into the land and carry out excavation and bulldozing work inside it.
Arrests
The occupation authorities continued to carry out arrests in the city of Jerusalem, and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center monitored 137 arrests during August, including 6 children "less than the age of responsibility - less than 12 years old", 37 minors, and 4 girls.
The arrests were concentrated in the town of Silwan with about 50 arrests, the villages of Al-Tur and Issawiya, and Sheikh Jarrah and Shu’fat refugee camp, in addition to arrests from Al-Aqsa and its roads and from the area of Damascus Gate and the adjacent areas.
In August, the occupation authorities renewed the administrative detention of four Jerusalemite prisoners.
The occupation authorities continued to pursue the freed prisoners, and during the month of August, they imposed house arrest on 4 freed prisoners in their place of residence: Yacoub Abu Asab and Nasser Al-Hidmi in Al-Sowaneh neighborhood, Salim Al-Jubeh in Al-Thori neighborhood, and Majed Al-Jubeh in the Old City of Jerusalem for periods ranging from 3 to 6 months.
The occupation authorities continued to issue deportation orders, and the center monitored 20 expulsion decisions from Al-Aqsa Mosque, and one from the West Bank.
Governor of Jerusalem ... continuous pursuit
The Israeli occupation authorities renewed the decisions issued against the Governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Ghaith, to prevent him from entering the West Bank and preventing him from participating in any meetings or events or providing any assistance in Jerusalem.
With this renewal, Governor Ghaith has been prevented from entering the West Bank for 3 years, as the first decision was issued as soon as he began his duties as governor in 2018.
Banning activities
The occupation authorities prevented a celebration honoring high school students in the village of Issawiya, which was called by the Issawiya Club under the auspices of the Jerusalem Endowment Fund.
The occupation forces also prevented the holding of an activity for children in the town of Beit Hanina, and a chess tournament in Al-Dar Hotel in Jerusalem.
