Day 375 Jerusalem during “Al-Aqsa Flood” Operation
On the 375th day of "Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, three demolitions were carried out in the city of Jerusalem, and arrests of Palestinian youths holding "West Bank" ID cards continued, and settlers continued their raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Demolition and displacement
In the early morning hours, large numbers of forces, accompanied by crews and vehicles from the occupation municipality, stormed the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood in Jerusalem, and surrounded a commercial facility belonging to the Badrieh family.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem explained that the forces closed off the perimeter of the commercial facility and spread out in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood, then began the process of demolishing the commercial facility, which is a shop selling and filling medical oxygen.
The demolitions carried out in the industrial zone are an introduction and beginning to start implementing the "Silicon Valley" project, which threatens 200 commercial and industrial facilities in the "industrial zone", on an area of 30 dunoms, and according to the project, it consists of "high-tech" technology companies, commercial complexes, hotels, a technical college, and expanding green spaces and streets in the area.
The project area as announced by the municipality is: 200,000 square meters allocated to high-tech companies, 50,000 for hotels, another 50,000 for commercial spaces, part of a 5-year government initiative worth 2.1 billion shekels.
At the beginning of this year, the municipality approved the Silicon Valley plan, after years of discussion in municipal committees.
The owners of the establishments explained that the municipality began distributing demolition notices to them collectively in 2020, and they immediately went to lawyers to follow up on the case in the municipality, and the decisions were frozen.
Last week, the District Court rejected the petition submitted by the owners of commercial and industrial establishments against the "Silicon Valley" project.
In the Ras al-Amoud neighborhood in the town of Silwan, municipal crews demolished part of the Abu Rajab family's house "with manual demolition tools."
The family explained that the municipal crews demolished about 50 square meters of their house, under the pretext of building without a permit, noting that the house was built 20 years ago, and was recently renovated and necessary repairs were made to prevent rainwater from leaking into the house.
The family added that the municipality imposed a building fine on them worth 150,000 shekels.
In Sur Baher, the municipality forced Musa Attoun to self-demolish his house, under the pretext of building without a permit.
Attoun explained that his house has been built for 20 years, and is home to 6 people, and its area is 85 square meters.
He explained that the municipality had imposed "building violations" on him over the past years, and he was able to postpone and freeze the decision until it was finally issued, and he was given several days to implement the decision.
Al-Aqsa raids
149 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the morning and afternoon incursion periods.
The settlers performed their prayers during the storming of Al-Aqsa.
A rabbi also blessed the wedding of one of the settlers during the storming of Al-Aqsa, and the settlers celebrated the settler's wedding and danced and sang.
Pursuing Palestinian workers with arrest, deportation and closure of facilities
The occupation authorities continue to pursue Palestinian workers in Jerusalem, under the pretext of illegal entry and residence in the city.
This evening, Siraj Abu Arafa, a lawyer for the Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem, explained that the forces arrested 11 young men under the pretext of "entering Jerusalem illegally", and after hours of detention and investigation at the "Salah al-Din Street" police station, the police released them at the Al-Z’ayem checkpoint on condition of deportation from Jerusalem.
In the early hours of the morning, the police said in a statement that they arrested 25 young men while they were in the Beit Safafa area, under the pretext of "illegal presence in Jerusalem."
They also closed two commercial establishments in the city of Jerusalem and the village of Abu Ghosh, under the pretext of "employing workers from the West Bank without residency permits," the police explained.
The police added in their statement that they closed the commercial establishment in Jerusalem, which is a printing press, for 30 days, and arrested its owner.
Release…Sentence…Arrests
The court sentenced the young man, Mohammad Samih Al-Abbasi, for 10 months in prison; it is noteworthy that he was arrested on 17/1/2024.
Meanwhile, the Megiddo Prison Administration released the prisoner, Iyad Ashraf Idais, from Shu’fat, on the condition of house arrest and placing an electronic bracelet on his foot until the end of the legal procedures against him.
Signs of the skin disease were clearly visible on the body of Idais, with pimples, cracks and inflammations spreading all over his body. The young man suffers from general weakness, and also suffers from fainting and loss of consciousness.
The forces arrested the freed prisoner Samer Abu Aisha and the young man Saeed Al-Doo.
The raids on towns and neighborhoods in Jerusalem continued, and raids were carried out on homes and checkpoints were set up in the streets of the city.
The forces also closed the Old City of Jerusalem – Damascus Gate and Herods Gate- suddenly in the morning, and the forces were deployed in the area, preventing entry or exit from the city.
