Occupied Jerusalem- Director of the Wadi Hilweh-Silwan Information Center in Jerusalem, Jawad Siam, said that the occupied city has been subjected to unprecedented Israeli violations since October 7, in addition to “racist” restrictions and measures against Jerusalemites.
Siam added in an interview with Manhattan Tribune Net that the year 2023 witnessed “flagrant violations and settlement projects amid the absence of coverage of Jerusalem, due to the media’s preoccupation with the Gaza Strip.”
He continued that the racist measures against Jerusalemites by the occupation authorities affected all areas, while demolition operations increased significantly.
He stated that the recent demolition operations that took place after the seventh of last October “targeted inhabited homes and commercial stores, unlike the demolition operations before that date, which often targeted homes under construction.”
Siyam said that he recently noticed the speed of taking measures related to demolition, especially with regard to the homes of those who carried out attacks as collective punishment in the villages and neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
In terms of arrests, the human rights activist said that they have become different in terms of the large number of detainees, and in terms of the severity of the violence used with detainees during and after arrest.
On the educational level, Siyam said that Jerusalem schools are under fierce attack, while many students, especially those who were recently released in an exchange deal, were prevented from returning to their schools supervised by the occupation.
He said that the Old City of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque are subject to strict measures, and movement through the checkpoints is carried out according to the mood of the soldiers, which led to a decline in the number of worshipers at Al-Aqsa to about 3,000 on the Friday before last.
On the settlement level, Siam said that the surroundings of the Old City, especially the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, are targeted by settlement plans and the seizure of real estate.
