Here’s what is happening in Jerusalem

By Hamdi Mansour AbuAli

There has been an escalation of tensions, violation and aggression by Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian Muslim worshippers at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem since the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadhan this year.

Large numbers of Israeli Jewish extremists’ settlers have invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the past weeks, expelling Palestinian Muslim worshippers who were praying at the mosque to make way for those settlers to perform Jewish rituals in the Muslim holy mosque.

An act of provocation and aggression against the freedoms and privacy of worship for Muslim worshipers which have in turn heightened anxiety and panic inside the mosque.

To make way for Jews to perform their rituals in the mosque, Israeli soldiers have reportedly assaulted, arrested and injured many Palestinian worshippers while preventing many Palestinian pilgrims from other Palestinian cities from entering the holy city and the Al Aqsa Mosque for worship. This has been done by increasing checkpoints onroads and entries to the city.

The assaults by Israeli extremists against Palestinian Muslim worshipers have heightened tensions in the city with over 150 Palestinians wounded, arrested and thousands others prevented from visiting or praying in the holy city during the holy days of Ramadhan.

The invasions by extremists Jewish settlers into the Al Aqsa mosque are not new. However, recently, the density and number of such acts have greatly increased causing uneasiness especially during the holy month of Ramadhan. But more worries on the outcome of such provocations.

There are concerns that these extremists seek to control all religious sites in the holy city of Jerusalem and expel Palestinian presence in an attempt to make the whole Jerusalem as their Jewish capital. It is believed that the Israeli government is even making temporary division of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

At certain times daily and weekly, the Israel soliders expel Palestinian worshipers from the mosque and empty Muslim worshipers in order to allow extremist Jewish intruders to enter the mosque by force and perform Jewish rituals.

This measure will eventually result into the spatially division of the holy masjid Al Aqsa into a place designated not only for Muslim but for Jewish extremists as well, in violation of religious sanctified places.

The same was done in February 1994 at the Ibrahimi mosque in the Palestinian city of Hebron when an extremist Jewish settler killed 30 Palestinian worshipers while they were performing prayers at the mosque.

Following this incident, the Israeli government divided of the Ibrahimi Mosque between the Muslim Palestinians and the extremist Jews. These extremists, protected by the Israeli occupation forces have become a constant source of terror and constant nuisance to the city’s residents aimed at driving the Palestinian citizens out of the Mosque and eventually out of the city.

The government of Israelis attempting to Judaise the holy city, and maintain a Jewish majority while displacing the Palestinians which according to international human rights organisations, amounts to war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

To accomplish this, the Israeli government uses revocation of residency rights, absentee property laws and tax policies to ensure as many Palestinians are expelled from the holy city as well denying the right of refugees to retune to their homes.

Other measures implored include the demolition of large number of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem under several pretext and displacing Palestinian Jerusalem residents outside the Holy city.

The systemic racial segregation especially in Jerusalem makes it impossible for Palestinians to get employment in the holy city and therefore forced to explore opportunities elsewhere outside the city.

Furthermore, the Israeli government has continued to demolish many Palestinians’ economic facilities in the holy city denying them their livelihood in an effort to drive them out.

The Israeli government is also using the method of intimidation towards Palestinian civilians by increasing the daily arrests of Palestinian residents remaining in Jerusalem, especially youths and children.

This year, there has been a rise in the number of detentions and the brutal methods of dealing with prisoners including collective punishment and solitary confinement.

According to the Palestine Commission of Detainees Affairs, until now, there are 4,500 political (jailed on national/political background) prisoners in Israeli jails including 191 minors (31 girls and 160 boys).

There are at least 550 administrative prisoners (citizens detained without trial or formal charges being brought against them) including 10 journalists; and 550 sick prisoners of whom 18 have cancer, 10 in wheelchairs and 14 prisoners handcuffed on beds in hospitals while they recover.

At least, 227 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli prisons due to illness and medical negligence by the Israeli authorities. Israel authorities refuse to return many bodies of deceased Palestinian prisoners to their families.

Author is ambassador of the State of Palestine to Tanzania