Day 396 Jerusalem during “Al-Aqsa Flood” Operation
On the 396th day of "Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, the bulldozers of the occupation municipality carried out a large-scale demolition operation in the Al-Bustan neighborhood, and carried out arrests of young men holding "West Bank ID" on the pretext of entering Jerusalem "illegally", and the raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque continued.
Demolition and displacement…and the danger of "mass demolition" threatens the Al-Bustan neighborhood
The bulldozers of the occupation municipality demolished 7 residential homes, a bird barn and a wall in the Al-Bustan neighborhood in Silwan.
In the early morning hours, the occupation forces stormed the town of Silwan with different teams and units accompanied by the municipality crews and their bulldozers, and spread out in several neighborhoods, then stormed the Al-Bustan neighborhood and closed the roads and streets leading to it, and prevented entry to it, and were stationed inside its alleys and in front of the doors of the houses and at its entrances.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem explained that the demolition in the Al-Bustan neighborhood today included:
• 4 apartments for the Rweidi family, for the brothers "Salah, Omar, Othman, and their mother", which have been in place since 2002 and are home to 23 people.
• The house of Haitham Ayed, which has been in place since 1995 and houses 6 people. The family was fined 80,000 shekels for construction.
• Two apartments for the Jerusalemite activist Fakhri Abu Diab and his son Mohammad. The first house was recently renovated after a demolition that took place last February and is home to the activist Fakhri and his wife.
• A barn for birds and chickens for the Rweidi family.
• A retaining wall for the Ayed family.
The Jerusalemite activist and member of the Silwan Land and Property Defense Committee, Fakhri Abu Diab, said, "It seems that the municipality has moved from individual demolition in the Al-Bustan neighborhood to mass demolition, and today it carried out the demolition, taking advantage of the general situation, especially the spotlight on the US elections.”
Abu Diab added that the Al-Bustan neighborhood includes 116 homes, some of which were demolished, and that the homes house 1,550 people. The municipality is planning to demolish the neighborhood, change its identity and character, and transform it into "the King's Garden."
He said, "The raids and distribution of notices and warnings have been escalating in the Al-Bustan neighborhood recently, and it is possible that the neighborhood will witness demolition operations on a weekly basis.”
In 2004, the occupation municipality decided to demolish the entire Al-Bustan neighborhood to implement a plan on its ruins, "King's Garden", and in 2005, it began distributing demolition notices and warnings. After international pressure, the movement of international and local human rights organizations, and diplomatic action, the demolition decisions were frozen, and the residents, through teams of engineers and lawyers, began submitting structural plans to organize and develop the neighborhood, open streets, and allocate sites for infrastructure and public facilities "such as schools and playgrounds". However, in March 2021, the residents were surprised by the occupation municipality's decision to reject the engineering plans for Al-Bustan neighborhood and not extend the freeze on the decisions to demolish the neighborhood's homes. Consequently, the municipality evaded all agreements with the relevant authorities and those following up on the plans.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained that the municipality escalated the demolition process in Al-Bustan neighborhood during the past year, and affected the homes of the families of: Odeh, Jalajel, Badran, Abu Diab, and was preceded by the demolition of the Al-Rajabi and Dweik families. Today, the demolition of 7 residential apartments was carried out.
Al-Aqsa…Continuous raids
202 settlers carried out their raids into Al-Aqsa Mosque, through the Dung Gate, during the two incursion periods "7-11 am, 12:30-2:00 pm" under the protection of the occupation forces.
Arrests and pursuit of Palestinians from the "West Bank"
The Israeli police said in a statement that they stopped two vehicles at the entrance to the city of Jerusalem "Beit Shemesh", and arrested 10 young men holding West Bank IDs on the pretext of "entering Jerusalem illegally", and arrested the drivers of the two vehicles.
In the "Atarot" area, they stopped a "commercial vehicle" and arrested 23 young men holding West Bank IDs, and the driver.
Prison sentences
The District Court issued a sentence of actual imprisonment against Sheikh Jamal Mustafa, 70 years old, for a period of 3 years.
Sheikh Mustafa was arrested in mid-October and was subjected to lengthy investigations on charges of "incitement and encouragement to participate in protests." Sheikh Jamal Mustafa is the imam and preacher of the Arba’een Mosque in the village of Issawiya. During his arrest, his family members were pursued by demolishing his son's house and imposing various fines on them.
The court also sentenced the young man Adham Al-Akari to two years in prison, noting that he was arrested at the end of last year, and the young man Obada Dandis to one and a half years in prison and a fine of 5,000 shekels.
Arrests from Silwan
Siraj Abu Arafa, a lawyer for the Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem, said that the forces arrested the two brothers, Mohammad Rweidi and Yehya Rweidi, from Silwan.
The forces severely beat the two young men during their arrest, after carrying out the demolition operation in the al-Bustan neighborhood.
The raids on towns and neighborhoods in the city of Jerusalem continued.
