The Public Relations and Media Unit in the Jerusalem Governorate issued its report during the third quarter of the year 2023, on the crimes of the Israeli occupation in the Jerusalem Governorate, in which it summarized the overall violations observed in the neighborhoods and towns of the Jerusalem Governorate.

Martyrs and the file of bodies detained by the occupation

During the third quarter of the year 2023, (3) martyrs rose in the Jerusalem Governorate, including a child, all of whom were martyred during the month of August. They are the young man Muhannad Muhammad Suleiman Al-Mazra’a (20 years old), Ahmed Abu Sneina (33 years old) affected by his injury, and the child Khaled Samer Al-Zaanin. (14 years old). This brings the number of martyrs in Jerusalem Governorate from the beginning of the year 2023 until the end of September to 12 martyrs, including 4 children.

File of detained martyrs’ bodies

During September, the occupation decided to hand over the body of the Jerusalemite martyr Ishaq Al-Ajlouni, who has been detained since June 2023, without specifying a date or conditions for handover.

Until the end of September 2023, the occupation authorities are still detaining the bodies of 25 Jerusalemite martyrs in the occupation’s refrigerators and a number of cemeteries.

Targeting Jerusalemite figures

As part of the occupation’s attempts to control, oppress, and destroy trees, stones, and people, the occupation authorities continued their crimes against the national figures of Jerusalem. During the third quarter, the occupation authorities continued their violations against the Governor of Jerusalem. On September 14, the occupation authorities handed the Governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Ghaith, an order with the intention of renewing the decision to prevent him from entering the West Bank. After he was summoned for investigation, knowing that Ghaith has been subject to open house arrest since August 4, 2022. On August 20, occupation intelligence stormed the house of Jerusalem Governor Adnan Ghaith. On July 13, the occupation court held a trial session for Ghaith, and the occupation public prosecutor demanded the actual imprisonment of the governor for eight months, based on two indictments previously issued against Governor Ghaith.

On September 5, the occupation renewed for the fifth time in a row the “house arrest” decision in the Al-Sawwaneh neighborhood in Jerusalem against the head of the Jerusalem Committee against Judaization, “Nasser Al-Hidmi.” It is noteworthy that the occupation has prevented Al-Hadmi from traveling for 4 years, and has also prevented him from entering the Old City and Al-Aqsa for more than two years. During July, the occupation renewed the travel ban against Al-Hidmi for a period of 6 months.

On August 30, the occupation extended the administrative detention of the former Minister of Jerusalem, Khaled Abu Arafa, and the Jerusalem MP, Ahmed Attoun, for an additional period of 4 months, a few days before the end of their administrative sentence.

During July, the Occupation intelligence handed the secretary of the Fatah movement in Jerusalem, Shadi Mtour, a summons for investigation at the “Al-Maskobiyya” center affiliated with the Occupation, and the Occupation intelligence handed the secretary of the Fatah movement a decision to deport him from the West Bank for an additional 6 months.

The occupation forces also handed the Jerusalemite activist Nasser Abu Khudair a decision preventing him from entering the West Bank, restricting his movement and work inside occupied Jerusalem, in addition to preventing him from communicating with a number of Jerusalemite figures.

The Hebrew media continued its incitement against the preacher of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ikrimah Sabri, and demanded his deportation from Jerusalem. Because of his call for solidarity with Jenin during the Friday sermon. On July 11, the occupation renewed his travel ban for a period of six months. Under the pretext that his travel poses a danger to the occupation.

On July 4, the Deputy Director of the Islamic Endowments Department in occupied Jerusalem, Sheikh Najeh Bkairat, was informed that his “travel ban” had been renewed for a period of 6 months. On July 12, the occupation authorities deported Bkairat from the city of Jerusalem to the city of Bethlehem for a period of 6 months.

Settler attacks

  During the third quarter of this year, the Jerusalem Governorate monitored about (55) attacks by settlers, including (15) attacks with physical harm. During September, with the period of the Jewish holidays, settlers’ attacks and incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque increased. On September 24, a number of settlers stormed the mosque barefoot and performed Talmudic prayers. The groups included intruders from the settlements of Neve Daniel and Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, to whom the Temple groups provided free transportation.

The frequency of attacks varies between an increase and a decrease compared to the years 2021 and 2022, as the number of attacks during the year 2021 reached 32 attacks, while in the year 2022 it reached 127 attacks, including 30 attacks with physical abuse.

Injuries

Regarding the file of injuries, during the third quarter of 2023, the Jerusalem Governorate monitored injuries resulting from the occupation forces’ use of excessive force against Jerusalemites in various parts of the occupied capital.

During the third quarter, the Jerusalem Governorate monitored injuries resulting from the occupation forces’ use of excessive force against Jerusalemites in various parts of the occupied capital. (29) injuries were recorded as a result of live and rubber-coated metal bullets and severe beatings by the occupation forces, in addition to hundreds of cases of gas suffocation.

The rate of infections in the Jerusalem Governorate varies between an increase and a decrease compared to the years 2021 and 2022, as the number of infections recorded during the year 2021 reached 45, while in the year 2022, it reached 515 infections.

Challenges and violations in Al-Aqsa Mosque

The occupation forces imposed restrictions on the gates of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, restricting worshipers, searching them, and confiscating their personal identity cards, in conjunction with securing settlers’ incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Jerusalem Governorate monitored the incursions of extremist settlers into the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the third quarter, as (14,886) settlers and (249,439) foreigners, under the pretext of tourism (through the Israeli Ministry of Tourism), stormed the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy protection from heavily armed special occupation forces.

The pace of settlers’ incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque varies between an increase and a decrease compared to the years 2021 and 2022, as the number of intruders during the year 2021 reached 14,692 settlers, while in the year 2022, it reached 15,178 settlers.

Al-Aqsa Mosque restoration file

On September 30, the occupation opened a tunnel under the Umayyad palaces near the southern wall of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, promoting the construction of the “alleged temple” and the presence of a Jewish civilization in occupied Jerusalem.

On August 2, the occupation forces prevented reconstruction and restoration crews from completing their work in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. The occupation forces came to the workplace of the crews who were beginning the restoration work and prevented them from continuing their work by force.

On July 3, the occupation police completely prevented the employees of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Reconstruction Committee from working in all departments of the Al-Aqsa Reconstruction Committee, and threatened to arrest the employees if they did the work. On July 4, the occupation forces arrested 3 employees of the Islamic Endowments Department from Al-Aqsa Mosque: “Hossam Sidr,” “Mohammed Al-Salhi,” and “Arafat Najib.”

On July 20, one of the perennial olive trees fell in the courtyards of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the most likely cause of its fall is the ongoing excavations under Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Arrests

The unjust and racist arrests carried out brutally by the occupation forces against the people of the Jerusalem Governorate continue, as about (132) cases of arrest of citizens were monitored in all areas of the Jerusalem Governorate during the third quarter of the year 2023, and among the detainees are (62) children and (32) women.

The pace of arrests varies in the Jerusalem Governorate, as it decreased compared to the years 2021 and 2022, as the number of detainees during the year 2021 reached 536 arrests, including 24 arrests of women, while in 2022 it reached 607 arrests.

Decisions of the occupation courts

The racist occupation courts issued (69) actual prison sentences against Jerusalemite prisoners, including (20) administrative detention sentences - that is, without clearly specifying charges against them - in addition to imposing very heavy financial fines that increase the suffering of their families.

The rate of actual imprisonment varies in the Jerusalem Governorate, as it increased compared to the years 2021 and 2022, as the number of cases of actual imprisonment during the year 2021 reached 32 rulings, including 7 administrative detention decisions, while in the year 2022, it reached 51 rulings, including 24 administrative detention decisions.

We also monitored (54) house arrest orders issued by the occupation authorities during the third quarter of this year against Jerusalemite citizens, including children.

The pace of home detention varies in the Jerusalem Governorate, as it increased compared to the years 2021 and 2022, as the number of home detention decisions during the year 2021 reached 29 decisions, while in the year 2022, it reached 45 decisions.

The third quarter of the year 2023 witnessed the occupation authorities issuing deportation decisions from the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City, in an attempt to control Al-Aqsa Mosque and the places surrounding it. They issued about (80) deportation decisions, including (36) deportation decisions from the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The pace of deportations in the Jerusalem Governorate varies between an increase and a decrease compared to the years 2021 and 2022, as the number of deportation decisions during the year 2021 reached 68 decisions, including 56 from Al-Aqsa Mosque, while in the year 2022, it reached 81 decisions, including 47 from Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The occupation authorities issued 15 travel ban decisions during the third quarter of the year 2023. During September, the occupation handed 6 Jerusalemites travel ban decisions outside the Palestinian borders, and they are Khadija Khwais, Yaqoub Abu Asab, Amir Zughayr, Hamza Zughair, Louay Nasser al-Din, and Youssef al-Risheq.

Demolition and bulldozing operations

During the third quarter of 2023, the number of demolition and bulldozing operations in the Jerusalem Governorate reached (74), of which (17) were forced self-demolition operations, (38) were demolition operations carried out by occupation mechanisms, and (19) were bulldozing operations.

During the third quarter of 2023, the occupation’s mechanisms and crews carried out an operation that included: Commercial, animal and residential facilities, animal farm, brick factory, barracks, wooden columns, dwellings, agricultural facilities, water tanks, sheep pens, outdoor room, and retaining wall.

The pace of demolition operations in the Jerusalem Governorate varies between an increase and a decrease compared to the years 2021 and 2022, as the number of demolition operations during the year 2021 reached 83 operations: (42) demolition operations by occupation vehicles, and (41) forced demolition operations, while in the year 2022, it reached, There were (67) demolition operations in the occupied Jerusalem Governorate, including (48) demolition operations by occupation vehicles, and (19) forced self-demolition operations, in addition to (19) land leveling operations.

Demolition, forced eviction, and land confiscation decisions

During the third quarter of the year 2023, the occupation authorities delivered more than (84) demolition notices to a number of commercial establishments and homes, in the neighborhoods of Wadi Al-Jouz, Wadi Hilweh, and Sahel Biddu, in addition to distributing a group of notices in the Al-Sawana area in occupied Jerusalem.

Among the demolition notices were 60 demolition notices for industrial and commercial facilities in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood in the occupied city of Jerusalem, by posting these notices on the facilities. It is noteworthy that the occupation municipality is planning to demolish dozens of facilities in the industrial zone and establish the “Silicon Valley” project on the ruins of the place. These facilities existed before the occupation of Jerusalem and from which hundreds of people make a living.

Forced eviction

On September 13, the settlers emptied the Idris family home, located in the Al-Qarmi neighborhood, of its contents after taking control of the house under the pretext of purchasing it several weeks ago. It is noteworthy that the family denies selling the house and says that they bought it and have lived in it since 1979, and settlers entered the house while its owner was in the hospital receiving treatment.

On July 11, the occupation forces stormed the house of the Sub Laban family in the Khalidiya Aqabat in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem and forced its residents to evacuate it and hand it over to the settlers.

The eviction decision came after the Occupation Supreme Court issued a previous decision to terminate the protected lease contract for the elderly couple, Noura Sub Laban (68 years old) and Mustafa Sub Laban (72 years old), to make way for the property to be seized by the “Galitsia” settlement association, which has been seeking to evict the family since. Year 2010.

Violations against prisoners

In July, the Minister of Occupation Security approved the decision to prevent the early release of Palestinian prisoners, and this decision entered into force during the month of September. This decision comes as a new punitive measure within a series of restrictions targeting prisoners recently. The Israeli decision is part of Ben Gvir's efforts to suppress detainees in occupation prisons, who in the past were eligible for early release due to the lack of space to house them.

Early release is a procedure under which the Israeli prison administration releases prisoners before the end of their sentences, ranging from days to months. It is activated at intervals and includes prisoners with low sentences under 10 years, and excludes prisoners with high sentences and life sentences.

According to this procedure, 21 days are deducted from the sentence of a prisoner who has been sentenced to one year in prison, while two to three months are deducted from prisoners sentenced between two to four years.

Violations against Jerusalem institutions

Targeting the Palestinian curriculum and the Israelization of education in Jerusalem

During the third quarter, the occupation authorities (the occupation municipality and what is called the occupation Ministry of Education) continued the fierce attack on the schools of the city of Jerusalem, targeting the Palestinian curriculum and Palestinian students. Several times during the month of September, they arrested school students, searched them, and confiscated their books. On September 4, the occupation forces confiscated the books of the students of the Sharia School. Al-Aqsa Kindergarten prevented them from entering their schools in Al-Aqsa because of the Palestinian flag being printed on their school books.

With the beginning of the current school year, persecutions began against school administrations in Jerusalem on the one hand and persecution and confiscation of the Palestinian curriculum on the other hand. According to what was issued by the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, the so-called Occupation Ministry of Education sent official letters to schools in the city of Jerusalem entitled “Receipt of educational books for an educational institution by the Jerusalem Municipality.” The letter contained 3 items:

1. The so-called occupation Ministry of Education funds the distribution of educational books to educational institutions in East Jerusalem. The educational books are distributed by the occupation municipality, and the distributed books do not contain “inflammatory content against the State of Israel.”

2. I sign to receive educational books that do not contain “inflammatory content against the State of Israel.”

3. A threat to cancel the educational institution’s license, which stated: The Ministry of Education has confirmed that if educational books are found in the educational institution containing inflammatory content, the Ministry will consider canceling the educational institution’s license.

It is noteworthy that what is meant by the “lack of inflammatory content” in the distributed books is that the “distorted Palestinian curriculum books” were distributed to Jerusalem schools, for teaching, and thus many changes were made in all the books, by deleting lessons, paragraphs, Quranic verses, verses of poetry, and pictures.

In July, the Israeli Knesset held a session to incite against Arab schools and national curricula in Jerusalem. The session included incitement against Arab teachers who graduated from Palestinian universities in Jerusalem schools.

As for the restrictions on cultural and sports institutions, in August, the occupation authorities handed over to the head of the Silwan Sports Club, Ahmed Al-Ghoul, a decision to prevent the holding of a ceremony for high school seniors at the Silwan Club in occupied Jerusalem today, following his arrest and investigation.

During July, the occupation forces stormed Al Dar Mall in occupied Jerusalem in preparation for the mayor of the occupation storming the place. The shops inside Aldar Mall in occupied Jerusalem closed their doors in rejection of a scheduled visit by the mayor of the occupation, and young Jerusalemites poured oil on the ground of Aldar Mall on Salah al-Din Street in occupied Jerusalem, as an expression of their rejection of this visit.

During the third quarter, the occupation forces stormed Al-Maqasid Hospital in occupied Jerusalem more than once.

As for the restrictions on clerics and attacks on religious freedom, during the month of July, the occupation police prevented a monk from entering Al-Buraq Square, located west of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, accompanied by the German Minister of Education, while he was wearing the Holy Cross around his neck, under the pretext that this would endanger his life. The occupation police asked him to remove the cross before entering the square. The monk tried to explain to them that he was a cleric and that this was his style of clothing as a monk and that this constituted an infringement on his personal and religious freedom, but he did not succeed in convincing them of that.

Violations against journalists

In September, settlers obstructed the work of Jerusalemite journalist Ahmed Al-Safadi while he was covering Bab Al-Silsilah Road in Old Jerusalem in occupied Jerusalem. On August 21, the occupation summoned Jerusalem journalist Ahmed Al-Safadi for investigation. The occupation forces had arrested Al-Safadi and released him on the condition that he be removed from Al-Aqsa for a month.

On August 16, the occupation forces stormed the home of journalist Diala Jweihan in the Al-Thawri neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem. On August 30, the occupation police attacked a number of Palestinian journalists and removed them from the place of the martyrdom of the child Khaled Al-Zaanin to prevent them from covering the event.

On July 11, the occupation court ended the home detention decision of Jerusalemite journalist Lama Ghosheh, and imposed on her 9 months of working for the benefit of the public, and a 6-month suspension of execution for a period of 3 years, in addition to paying a fine of 4,500 shekels. Ghosheh’s lawyer demanded that an appeal session be held against the ruling.

Settlement projects

The occupation authorities seek to impose a new reality on the occupied city of Jerusalem by implementing dangerous settlement projects. During the third quarter of 2023, the occupation forces approved 4 new projects in the Jerusalem Governorate. During September, the District Planning Committee approved the plan to build the park, which will cover 700 dunams in the Pisgat Zeev neighborhood. After years of discussions, approvals and work by residents in cooperation with the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, a plan to establish an urban natural park in Nahal Zimri in Pisgat Zeev was approved.

During August, the occupation authorities approved the allocation of budgets in favor of the settlements, and on August 20, the so-called occupation security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, decided to allocate 120 million shekels in favor of the settlements under the pretext of “strengthening security control” in eastern occupied Jerusalem. Ben Gvir aims through this plan to deploy more surveillance cameras, increase the salaries of the occupation police and the numbers of its members, enhance construction plans for police stations, establish a police station in Jabal al-Mukaber, and formulate and manage programs dedicated to police stations, with the aim of imposing the occupation’s security sovereignty over the Holy City.

The occupation government also approved the allocation of 230 million shekels to complete the American settlement road, or what is known as the Eastern Ring Road in occupied East Jerusalem, as part of transportation projects worth one billion shekels included in the five-year plan that was approved on August 20, 2023, with a value of 3.2 billion shekels.

During July, the occupation authorities approved work on a new settlement project, as the occupation announced its intention to build 450 new settlement units between the towns of Umm Lisun and Jabal Mukaber in occupied Jerusalem, on an area of 12 dunums.

The occupation government also planned to build a large settlement on the lands of the town of Jerusalem. The settlement plan includes the construction of 670 settlement units in the town of Beit Safafa, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, according to what local media reported.

This is in addition to a group of decisions that the occupation authorities intend to ratify, and a group that the crews are working on.

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