governorate Report of Israeli Violations in Jerusalem Governorate April 2021

30/April/2021

One martyr and (265) arrests and about (400) injuries during April 2021

Palestinian Jerusalemites have fought three major battles over the past five years; The first was in 2017 with a victory in preventing the installation of electronic gates at the entrances at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the second in 2018 with a victory in the reopening of the Gate of Mercy chapel (Bab Al-rahmah), and the third on the 13th of April of this year. With the first days of the holy month of Ramadan, the battle to preserve presence and prove the identity to The gate (Bab al-Amud) started. On the 25th the Jerusalemites were able to remove all the barriers that the occupation police had placed in the vicinity of the Gate, which caused violent confrontations in various neighborhoods and towns of Jerusalem. The victory translated in the ability for thousands of Palestinians to perform and attend the evening prayers and Taraweeh prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, and in the Damascus Gate Square Palestinians gathered chanting national slogans and waving Palestinian flags.

Jerusalem governorate monitoring occupation violations in the governorate:

During April 2021:

Martyrs:

On April 6, the occupation forces executed Osama Sidqi Mansour (42 years), from the town of Bido, after they fired live bullets at his vehicle, killing him after he was shot in the head.

Arrest

259 cases of arrest by the occupation forces were monitored, including (5) cases of women, and the arrests as well focused on children and youth. Among them (147) were arrests during the " Bab al-Amud'' Damascus gate confrontations.

In a related context, on the seventh of April, the Occupation Public Prosecution Office submitted to the Central Occupation Court an indictment against the two spouses Ahmed and Hayat al-Zaghal, which included “assaulting police personnel and obstructing their work during the arrest of one of their sons from Ras al-Amud neighborhood in July 20.

Deportation decisions

17 deportation decisions were monitored that were issued against Jerusalemites during April. Among them are (5) deportation decisions from Jerusalem, (7) deportation decisions from Al-Aqsa Mosque, and (5) deportation decisions from (Bab al-Amud) Damascus gate area and the , and deportation periods ranged from one month to six months. The occupation also targeted the head of the Supreme Islamic Authority and the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque (Sheikh Ikrimah Sabri, 84 years old), by handing him over on April 19, a new decision banning him from traveling outside the country for a period of four months.

Home detention decisions

12 house arrest decisions issued by the occupation authorities against Jerusalemites during April, the period of decisions ranged from five days to four months, including a decision to overnight house arrest for a period of three months for the 70 years old, Rabhi Abu Al-Hummus.

Injuries

During the month of April, the Jerusalem governorate monitored the injuries resulting from the use of excessive force against the Jerusalemites in the various parts of the occupied territories, this excessive force led to the death of the martyr Osama Mansour from the town of Bido.

About (400) injuries with live and rubber-coated metal bullets and severe beatings were detected, among the wounded (3) are journalists and paramedics, and the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment. In addition, hundreds of suffocation injuries were recorded due to the heavy firing of tear gas canisters.

Demolitions, eviction and confiscation decisions (9) Demolitions were monitored, two of which were self-demolitions of two homes, as the occupation authorities forced them to self-demolish their homes in anticipation of paying fines and demolition costs if the occupation mechanisms carried it out . The occupation crews carried out (7) demolition operations that included (3) livestock and horse farms and fences, and (3) commercial facilities in the town of (Issawiya), in addition to " barracks" in the town of Al-Eizariya.

On April 8, a leak was revealed finding out that "Ateret Kohneim'' settlement association, seized 3 residential buildings and a plot of land of about 1500m in Batn Al-Hawa neighborhood in the town of Silwan for the benefit of the association. Resulting in increasing the number of settlement outposts in the neighborhood to (12) and a plot of land.

In a related context, the occupying forces and crews stormed the towns of Issawiya and Silwan during the month of April several times, during which they handed over dozens of residents decisions to review the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, regarding the permits of their homes, and demolition decisions were also made to other homes in the two towns.

In addition, the occupation authorities confiscated 13 thousand meter of a lands in Hizma town, and they continued to raze agricultural lands between the towns of Al-Zaim and Al-Issawiya, as part of the implementation plan for the huge settlement project project (E1).

During the month of April, the occupation authorities seized several properties including horses from the town of Issawiya, in addition to goods for street vendors in Jerusalem, clothes for volunteers from inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, and breakfast meals for fasting people from the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Occupation violations on Jerusalemite activities and institutions

The occupation forces suppressed several Jerusalem activities related to the ''Palestinian legislative elections," and arrested the candidates of the electoral lists in Jerusalem several times. On April 6, they prevented a consultative meeting about the elections, organized by civil society institutions in Jerusalem, under the title: "International law guarantees us right to vote". On April 17, it prevented a press conference for the Palestinian factions about the elections in Jerusalem.

In the same context, the occupation forces attacked the solidarity stand and activities carried out by the people of neighborhood against the occupation’s decision to evacuate the homes of (7) families from the neighborhood for the benefit of settlement associations. It is reported that the occupation authorities have given (4) families until the second of next May to evacuate, and (3) of them until next August.

Settlement projects

During the month of April, several settlement plans targeting the city of Jerusalem were revealed, including an expansion project for settlements in Jerusalem, by approving the construction of (2540) new housing units in the settlements of the so-called “Har Homa” and “Givat Hamatos”. A scheme for four new tunnels was revealed in the northern Jerusalem area. In a related context, the establishment of a tourism center under the Al-Buraq Wall was revealed.

Settlers' attacks

Settlers' attacks on Jerusalemites increased, (22) attacks were reported physically or on property, the most severe of which was in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, where settlers carried out several attacks on the solidarity stand that was organized in the neighborhood against the eviction decisions issued, with protection from the occupation police.

In addition at Jaffa Street, Street No. (1), and Bab al-Amud area in the city of Jerusalem witnessed several clashes that resulted in the injury of dozens of Palestinian Jerusalemites with various injuries. The residents in their homes were not immune from the attacks of these groups as well, as the Settlers attacked several houses in the Old City and attacked their residents, with protection from the occupation police.

Violations and challenges that faced Al-Aqsa Mosque

Life returned to the chapels and courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of April, which was mediated by the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan, and hundreds of thousands flocked from various parts of Palestine to perform Friday prayers, evening prayers and Tarawih prayers. Despite the restrictions imposed by the occupation at the checkpoints at the entrances to Jerusalem and the gates of Al-Aqsa. The occupation authorities tightened the conditions for entering the city of Jerusalem and performing the Friday prayers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and detained hundreds of arrivals and prevented them from entering, and arrested dozens of them.

The Jerusalem Governorate monitored the violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of April. On April 3, groups of settlers called for youth organizations and Jewish religious schools to a preparatory conference to "study how to organize the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque" in what they call "the Jewish Jerusalem Day" on (May 10), which will fall on the 28th of the blessed month of Ramadan.

The events at the Al-Aqsa Mosque escalated during April, when on April 13, the occupation authorities stopped the loudspeakers of the Mosque and destroyed doors and confiscated the locks, under the pretext that the sound of prayer might reach Al-Buraq Square, where ceremonies related to what they called "the memory of the dead soldiers" were being held. A number of endowment employees were threatened to be arrested after they protested against this behavior. What prevented from raising the call to prayer for evening and Tarawih prayer via loudspeakers on the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan.

On April 13 and 14, which coincided with the first days of the holy month of Ramadan, the occupation forces, prevented the distribution of breakfast meals to the fasting people near the Lions Gate , and seized them. On April 22, the occupation forces forced yesterday evening Jerusalemites and worshipers retreating outside the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque to leave the mosque by force, and threatened those presented in it with arrest if they did not leave the mosque immediately. During the month of April, (3616) settlers and students stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, with heavy security from the occupation forces, and they carried out provocative tours around it, and during the storming period, residents and worshipers were prevented from entering the Mosque.

Iimprisonment Judicial rulings issued against Palestinian Jerusalemite

The Israeli occupation courts issued verdicts of imprisonment against prisoners from the Jerusalem governorate, and (15) arbitrary sentences of actual imprisonment were monitored, including (5) decisions of administrative detention for a period of four months. Among the decisions was a six-year sentence for prisoner Muhammad Riyad Abu Tayeh.

In a related context, on April 4, the occupation authorities closed the bank account of the freed prisoner (Majid Ju`bah) and confiscated his money account.

Public Relations and Media Unit

Jerusalem Governorate