May 2024 in the city of Jerusalem
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem issued its report for May 2024, during which it monitored violations in the city of Jerusalem. During the past month, shooting and settlers' incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque continued, in addition to arrest and demolition campaigns.
Shooting...detaining bodies
On 16/5/2024, the Jerusalemite boy, Nour Nizar Shihabi, 17 years old, from the Al-Sowaneh neighborhood in Jerusalem, was martyred after he was shot in the Herods Gate area in Jerusalem in the dawn hours, and his body was detained.
The occupation authorities continue the policy of “detaining the bodies of martyrs in refrigerators,” and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained that the bodies of 24 Jerusalemite martyrs are still kept in refrigerators. They are:
1. Martyr Mesbah Abu Sbeih; since October 2016
2. Martyr Fadi Al-Qunbar; since January 2017
3. Martyr Aziz Aweisat; since May 2018
4. Martyr Shaher Abu Khadija; since May 2021
5. Martyr Zuhdi Al-Taweel; since May 2021
6. Martyr Fadi Abu Shkheidem; since November 2021
7. Martyr Karim Jamal Al-Qawasmi; since March 2022
8. Martyr Uday Al-Tamimi; since October 2022
9. Martyr Amer Halabiya; since November 2022
10. Martyr Khairy Alqam; since January 2023
11. Martyr Hussein Qaraqe; since February 2023
12. Martyr Ishaq Al-Ajlouni; since June 2023
13. Martyr Khaled Al-Za’anin; since August 2023
14. Martyr Ali Al-Abbasi; since October 2023
15. Martyr Abdel Rahman Faraj; since October 2023
16. Martyr Khaled Al-Muhtaseb; since October 2023
17. Martyr Adam Abulhawa; since October 2023
18. Martyr Mohammad Omar Al-Farroukh (minor); since November 2023
19. Martyr Murad Nimer; since November 2023
20. Martyr Ibrahim Nimer; since November 2023
21. Martyr Ahmad Alayan; since December 2023
22. Martyr Wadi’ Alayan; since February 2024
23. Martyr Fadi Jamjoum; since February 2024
24. Martyr Nour Nizar Shihabi, since May 2024
Al-Aqsa Mosque... widespread desecration and raising of Israeli flags
Thousands of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of May, as part of the raids, which are carried out through the Dung Gate - whose keys have been controlled by the occupation authorities since the occupation of Jerusalem - on a daily basis, with the exception of Fridays and Saturdays.
On May 22nd, the “Second/Little Passover,” Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gavir stormed Al-Aqsa during the morning incursions period, accompanied by the head of the Temple Mount Management Organization, and guarded by occupation officers and forces. He said during the storming: “The countries that today recognized the Palestinian state are giving a reward to cowards, murderers and aggressors. We will not even allow the declaration of a Palestinian state. Hamas must be destroyed, and this place is sacred to us.”
On May 14th, on the anniversary of the so-called “Independence Day,” the anniversary of the Nakba of the Palestinian people, 526 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, during the two periods of raids, and the settlers performed prayers during the raids on Al-Aqsa that day, “collective and public prayers” in several areas of Al-Aqsa, especially in the eastern region, and the settlers raised Israeli flags during the storming, and they wore the flags around their bodies and prayed, guarded by police and occupation officers.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained that, on the anniversary of the so-called “Independence Day,” the occupation authorities imposed a strict siege on the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque, from the hours of dawn until before noon “until the end of the morning incursions period,” and prevented hundreds of worshipers, “the elderly, women, and children” from entering the Old City, and only the residents of the Old City were allowed to enter it, but they were prevented from entering Al-Aqsa.
Inside Al-Aqsa, the police determined where the worshipers - most of whom were elderly - would sit, and removed the young men who were in the courtyards. Police personnel were also deployed in Al-Aqsa during periods of raids.
Early last month, a female settler raised the Israeli flag, wrapped it around her body while raising the victory sign, and took pictures of herself with an officer.
Last month witnessed massive incursions by settlers into Al-Aqsa on several days to commemorate various occasions, “the beginning of the Hebrew month, the Torch Festival, and the Holocaust Memorial.”
During the incursions, the settlers performed prayers for soldiers and prisoners in the Gaza Strip, and among the intruders were families of prisoners who prayed for their children.
During last May, the occupation authorities continued to impose restrictions on the entry of worshipers to Al-Aqsa on Fridays (dawn and Friday prayers), by arresting young men, searching them, and preventing some from entering without reason. Prayers were held in the streets, and the Information Center also monitored the prevention of Turkish and British tourists from entering Al-Aqsa to perform prayers.
Restrictions on Christians entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
The occupation authorities imposed restrictions on Christians entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Holy Saturday, and the forces imposed a siege on the vicinity of the Old City by placing barriers and iron barricades and closing some of the roads leading to the church, and limiting the number of people allowed to enter the church and its courtyards. Several attacks were recorded on Christian worshipers by pushing and beating at the police checkpoints. Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the forces assaulted and beat the guard of the Greek consul and arrested him.
The occupation authorities also prevented Christians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip from entering Jerusalem to participate in the “Easter rituals,” which this year were limited to religious rituals and prayers due to the war on the Strip.
Settlers' attacks...continuous targeting of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA)
At the end of May, the Israel Lands Authority informed the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) that it must vacate its headquarters in the Sheikh neighborhood in the city of Jerusalem within a month, after the approval of the Israeli Minister of Housing to evacuate the United Nations agency from any government land.
The "Israel Lands Authority" also demanded that the agency pay 27 million shekels in debts due to the agency "using the land without approval."
It also called for the demolition of what was built on the land “illegally,” and the evacuation of the place.
On field, settlers targeted the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem. They threw flammable materials “twice” during last May, towards the UNRWA headquarters, which led to a fire in part of the outer courtyard. They also threw stones at the employees and directed insults and obscene words at them. They demonstrated for several days in front of the agency’s headquarters and tried to block the road to prevent the employees from entering it. They set fire to an air conditioner hose installed on the window of the guard room “at the door of the agency,” and each time they chanted against the agency and its employees and demanded its expulsion and closure.
In the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem, a “Torch Festival” celebration was organized on the main street inside two plots of land, one of which was confiscated under the pretext of “public benefit,” and the second belonged to two Palestinian families. The occupation authorities worked over several days to install stands, lighting towers, and speakers, and the celebrations began from the evening hours of Saturday, May 25th, until the next day, during which, tens of thousands of settlers invaded the neighborhood and celebrated the “Torch Festival” rituals. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gavir also stormed the neighborhood to participate in the festival rituals.
During the celebration, the occupation authorities imposed a strict siege on the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, completely closing some roads to the movement of pedestrians, buses, and vehicles, and only allowing settlers to move and roam the streets of the neighborhood, and the sounds of loud music, dancing, and singing rose.
During last May, several attacks were recorded against Jerusalemites and their property.
Arrests
The occupation authorities continued daily arrests from the city of Jerusalem, and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center monitored 593 arrests in the city, including 401 arrests of Palestinians holding a “West Bank ID,” under the pretext of residing or attempting to enter Jerusalem illegally. The arrests included women, boys, and children.
The Information Center explained that during last May, the occupation authorities continued to issue “administrative detention” decisions, including renewing the administrative detention of former Jerusalem Minister Khaled Abu Arafa, for the third consecutive time.
The Information Center added that the Public Prosecution filed indictments last May against 5 Jerusalemites “under the age of 18,” including “attempted murder,” while 3 boys were transferred to home detention until the end of legal procedures against them.
Continuous deportations
The occupation authorities continued to issue deportation decisions, and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center monitored 17 deportation decisions during last May, which included “deportation from Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa, the Old City, the place of residence, the streets of Jerusalem and a ban on entering the West Bank.” The center explained that the deportation decisions from Jerusalem were for freed prisoners that completed their sentences and were summoned immediately after their release, and were forced to be deported from Jerusalem for several days.
The center added that the occupation authorities renewed the decision to “prevent entry into the West Bank” for the Jerusalem Governor Adnan Ghaith until next September.
The Governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Ghaith, has been imposed on house arrest in his home in the town of Silwan, since August 2022, after the Israeli prosecution submitted an indictment that included “violating the decision to prevent him from entering the West Bank.”
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem explained that since the Governor of Jerusalem took office in 2018, several restrictions have been imposed on him and are renewed immediately upon their expiration, the most prominent of which are “house arrest in his place of residence in Silwan, a travel-ban, a ban on entering the West Bank, and a ban on participating in any event in Jerusalem.”
Demolition and displacement
The occupation municipality escalated demolition operations in the city of Jerusalem last May, and the Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem monitored 20 demolition operations in the city, including “12 demolitions carried out by their owners” in order to avoid paying financial fines and demolition fees to the municipality, “its vehicles and crews” and the forces accompanying them.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem explained that among the demolition cases was “the bombing of the house of the Jerusalemite martyr Fadi Jamjoum” in the Shu’fat refugee camp.
The decision to close "Al Jazeera"
Last May, the occupation government approved the draft law “Closing Al Jazeera”, based on the law “Preventing a foreign broadcasting organization from harming the security of the state”. Permission was given to the Minister of Communications to issue, for a period of 45 days, a decision to stop broadcasting Al Jazeera in Arabic and English and to close the channel’s offices of Al-Jazeera, seizing devices used by the channel to broadcast content, and restricting access to the channel’s website. After several hours, joint crews from the Israeli Ministry of Communications, the police, and intelligence stormed the Ambassador Hotel in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and raided a room for the Al-Jazeera room crew, and after searching and examining the equipment and contents of the room, they confiscated the existing equipment, then posted the ban order on the door of the room.
Suppressing a sit-in
At the end of last May, the occupation forces suppressed a sit-in in front of the Orient House in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, to commemorate the passing of Faisal Al-Husseini, assaulted the participants by pushing them, and confiscated pictures of Al-Husseini.
