Wadi Hilweh Information Center issued, on Sunday, its monthly report in which Israeli violations in the city of Jerusalem, during the month of January, 2015, were monitored as Israeli occupation authorities continued their assaults on Jerusalemites, their properties and sanctities.Arrests…
The Center monitored the arrest of 150 people during the month of January, in which 65 of those detained were minors. The detainees included five minor females, nine minors that were between 10 -12 years of age, 27 women (including the minor females) and eight citizens between the ages of 40-60.
The Center explained that the youngest children among those arrested were Mohammad Khweis, from Al-Tur, and Mohammad Saeed Aweida, from the neighborhood of Shu’fat; Aweida was arrested by the Musta’ribeen unit (undercover police).
Most of the arrests in the month of January took places in Silwan, Esawyeh, Al-Tur, Sur Baher, Old City of Jerusalem and Beit Hanina.
Al-Aqsa Mosque…
Last month, nearly 660 extremists broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque, through the Dung Gate, and under the so-called “foreign tourism” program. During the break-ins, extremists managed to provoke the Muslim worshippers and Marabouts by climbing to the courtyard of the Dome of the Rock and practicing their religious rituals, in addition to verbally insulting worshippers.
The policy of holding women and young men’s IDs at Al-Aqsa’s gates before entering the Mosque and replacing them with small cards bearing the name of the gate through which they entered continued in the month of January, in an attempt to harass the worshippers entering the compound.
Settlers also launched two aircraft above Al-Aqsa. The first one was launched towards Al-Aqsa Mosque and flew for several minutes above Al-Marwani chapel, while the second flew for several minutes above Bab Al-Rahmeh cemetery.
Israeli authorities have stepped up their policy of arresting and assaulting women inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and at its gates, and most of the women who were arrested in January were either taken from Al-Aqsa courtyards or from its gates.
The Center also monitored the isolation of 24 citizens from Al-Aqsa Mosque for durations between 21 days and two months. The isolation affected 23 women including students at Al-Aqsa Schools who were allowed to enter the Mosque only to attend school.
Assaulting citizens and violating the right to education…
Assault on Jerusalemites by Israeli forces continued during last month, the most significant among these violations being the daily presence of Israeli forces on the Schools’ Street (Rab’a Al-Adawya Street) in Al-Tur. Forces raided three schools, firing sound grenades and rubber bullets into the schools’ courtyards and towards the classrooms. They also fired live bullets in the air in conjunction with the end of the school day.
The Center added in its report: “The occupation forces intend to deploy in the Schools’ Street in Al-Tur where 5 thousand students pass every day. There are four schools in the street and the forces are usually stationed in the street in the morning and afternoon hours and they stop students and their parents to provoke them which lead to the breakout of clashes and arrests in the area.”
On one occasion, Israeli Special Forces, along with several settlers, raided “Al-Shamilah” school for boys in Al-Tur and fired grenades towards the school and classrooms as the students were leaving; one soldier fired live bullets in the air while he was standing outside the school. The raid coincided with the end of the school day and while the students were leaving the school. During last month, Israeli forces arrested one student and injured another with shrapnel from sound grenades.
Forces additionally assaulted, last month, a child named Mohammad Jamal Gheith while he was near his house in Silwan and severely beat him for not reason.
Special Forces also assaulted 65-year-old Muna Khalil Abulhawa in Al-Tur at the beginning of last month, injuring her and leaving bruises on her back; note that she has poor vision and she is mute.
Israeli authorities continued with invasions into Jerusalemite neighborhoods, houses and commercial stores, while several break-ins were carried out under the pretext of “collecting debts”.
The areas of Al-Tur, Wadi Al-Joz and Silwan witnessed clashes on an almost daily basis, in response to the military’s presence in those areas, along with their continuous harassment to the locals at random checkpoints, searching vehicles and randomly issuing traffic tickets.
Settlers’ assaults…
In January, the Center monitored two kidnapping attempts on children from the neighborhood of Al-Thori, in Silwan, and also in the village of Jabal Al-Mukabber. Settlers tried to abduct 14-year-old Ibrahim Jamil Gheith while he was near his house in Al-Thori, after he was assaulted and severely beaten. but he managed to run away. A female settler attempted to kidnap 2-year-old Mohammad Ghassan Abu Al-Jamal while he was with his brothers who were able to save him.
Settlers also slashed the tires of 11 vehicles in the village of Beit Safafa and sprayed racist slogans over the “Museum on the Seam”.
Last month, the locals of Silwan were surprised to find a big hole in the area of “Upper Ein”, in Silwan, while the occupation’s municipality placed signs reading, “Danger, do not approach”, near the hole. The Center also monitored cracks in several houses in the neighborhood of Wadi Hilweh, due to the continuous Israeli excavations underneath.
Demolition…
The occupation municipality’s bulldozers carried out three demolition operations last month. They demolished a 2-storey building (4 residential apartments) in Shu’fat, owned by the families of Al-Mashni, Bshara and Mkheimar. They also demolished the house of Usama Dari, in the village of Issawyeh, as well as the house of Alayan Rabay’a, in the village of Jabal Al-Mukabber; note that all the demolished buildings were under construction.
See also: PCHR Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the oPt (29 January – 04 February 2015)
