OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center )For the second consecutive day, Israeli authorities have continued to impose heightened restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in Occupied Jerusalem’s Old City and around the Aqsa Mosque, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
According to local sources, Israeli police forced shop owners to shut down their businesses on Thursday and erected dozens of military checkpoints throughout the Old City and the roads leading to Aqsa Mosque. These measures severely disrupted daily life for Palestinian residents, limiting their access to the holy shrine and their work.
In stark contrast, settlers were granted wide-ranging privileges as they stormed the courtyards of Aqsa Mosque and the Buraq Square under heavy military protection. Settler groups also held festive gatherings and marches throughout the occupied city.
Earlier Thursday, dozens of settlers stormed the Aqsa Mosque under the pretext of marking Yom Kippur, backed by intensive security from Israeli police. Local sources reported tightened military presence around the Mosque and within the Old City, obstructing Palestinians’ access to the holy site to facilitate large-scale settler intrusions.
Furthermore, groups affiliated with the so-called “Temple Mount Organizations” have called on their supporters to participate in mass incursions into the holy Islamic site on Monday under the guise of celebrating the “Sukkot” holiday.
Israeli police have transformed the city into a virtual prison by blocking roads with concrete barriers and iron barricades, facilitating the movement of settler buses while restricting Palestinian mobility between Jerusalem neighborhoods.
