March 2022- Two martyrs…dozens of arrest, pursuits and deportations…settlers’ assaults continue
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center issued its monthly report for the month of March 2022, during which it monitored the Israeli violations in the city of Jerusalem.
The center said that the occupation authorities continued their violations in the city of Jerusalem, by opening firing, carrying out daily arrests and raids, and spreading in towns and streets. The settlers also continued their storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and their prayers inside it, and attacking Jerusalemites and their property in the city.
Shooting...Two martyrs by the occupation's bullets
On 6/3/2022, 19-year-old Karim Jamal Al-Qawasmi was shot dead by the occupation forces at Hutta Gate- one of the gates of Al-Aqsa from the outside - under the pretext that he had carried out a stabbing attack.
On 7/3/2022, the Palestinian youth, Abd al-Rahman Jamal Qasem, 22, from Ramallah, was shot dead by the occupation forces at al-Qattaneen Gate- one of the gates of al-Aqsa from the outside. Video recordings showed the occupation forces shooting the young man after he had fell of the stairs of Al-Qattaneen Gate and was laying on the ground while injured.
On 19/3/2022, the police shot Murad Samir Barakat, injuring him moderately, at the entrance to the town of Al-Thori. Video recordings showed a settler assaulting him before he was wounded.
On 1/3/2022, the police shot a young man while chasing him towards the village of Issawiya. No injuries were recorded.
Detaining the bodies of the Jerusalemite martyrs
The Information Center said that the occupation authorities continue to detain the bodies of Jerusalemite martyrs in refrigerators. The bodies that are detained are for: martyr Misbah Abu Sbeih (since October 2016), martyr Fadi Al-Qunbar (since January 2017), martyr Aziz Aweisat (since May 2018), the two martyrs Shaher Abu Khadija and Zuhdi Al-Tawil (since May 2021), the martyr Fadi Abu Shkheidem (since November 2021), and the martyr Karim Jamal Al-Qawasmi, 19 years old, (since March 2022).
Al-Aqsa Incursions
The settlers continued to carry out incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, through the Dung Gate, under heavy police protection, as part of a program of morning and afternoon incursion sessions. The incursions escalated during the month of March to coincide with the “Purim festival.”
At the end of March, extremist Knesset member Itamar Ben Gavir stormed Al-Aqsa and made racist statements against the Palestinian factions, calling for an increase in the hours of storming Al-Aqsa.
The occupation authorities also continued to impose restrictions on the entry of worshipers from the West Bank to Al-Aqsa, especially on Fridays, by arresting some of them and deporting hundreds by police buses and cars to the checkpoints set up at the entrances to Jerusalem.
As part of the harassment and restrictions imposed by the police on the employees of the Islamic endowment department, they tried to prevent them from hanging signboards as part of the preparations for the month of Ramadan.
Arrests
The occupation authorities continued to carry out arrests from the city of Jerusalem, and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center monitored 163 arrests from the city, including “two children / under the age of responsibility - less than 12 years old, 41 minors, including two girls, and 11 women.”
The center indicated that it monitored 49 arrests from "Damascus Gate, Herods Gate, Al-Aqsa and its roads", in addition to arrests from most of the towns and neighborhoods in Jerusalem.
The center stated that among the detainees, last March, were members of the family of the martyr Abdul Karim Al-Qawasmi, and they were released after hours of detention and investigation.
Last March, the occupation authorities transferred 4 Jerusalemites to administrative detention, including the Jerusalemite lawyer Salah Hammouri, for a period of 4 months, months after the "Minister of Justice" in the occupation government and the legal advisor approved the decision to withdraw his identity.
Settlers' attacks
On March 27, 2022, settlers took control of the Petra Hotel in the Old City of Jerusalem, as part of a deal in which hotels, lands, and real estate were leaked to settler associations by the former Greek Orthodox Patriarch Irnius in 2004. The settlement company "Bresford" had claimed to buy the right to the Petra Hotel.
On March 12th 2022, settlers took control of an apartment in Dung Gate/Silwan neighborhood, after it was sold by its owner, Mu’taz Halisi.
For the second month in a row, extremist Knesset member Ben Gavir continued to set up his office as a “tent” in the middle of the Salem family’s land in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, “the western part,” between the residents’ homes, and deliberately stormed the neighborhood daily, provoking the residents and those present with his racist tours and with his words and constant threats.
In March, settlers slashed the tires of more than 20 vehicles in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
Deportations
The occupation authorities continued to issue deportation decisions during the months of March, as the center monitored 27 deportation decisions, 20 of them from Al-Aqsa Mosque, and 7 from the Old City of Jerusalem.
The authorities also renewed the imposition of house arrest on the freed prisoner, Yaqoub Abu Asab, in his place of residence "Al-Sowaneh neighborhood", and banned him from travelling in the city of Jerusalem.
Demolition
Demolitions continued in Jerusalem during the month of March, under the pretext of building without a permit. The center monitored 3 demolitions in Beit Hanina and Shu’fat refugee camp, in addition to razing a plot of land in Jabal Al-Mukabber.
