OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed Silwan town, south of the Aqsa Mosque, on Tuesday evening, accompanied by a group of Jewish settlers under heavy security provided by Israeli forces.
Local sources said Israeli police forces closed roads leading to the Bab al-Asbat area and the Ras al-Amud neighborhood in Silwan while settlers forced their way into the nearby Islamic cemetery.
The Bab al-Rahma Cemetery and the historic Islamic cemeteries stretching along the eastern walls of Aqsa have been the site of repeated settler incursions under Israeli police protection. According to local sources, these incidents have included acts of vandalism and desecration, such as damaging gravestones and removing sections of the cemetery.
The area has also witnessed ongoing excavation work and projects aimed at expanding Israeli presence, including the construction of biblical-themed parks and tourist routes on land belonging to the Islamic cemeteries. The site has at times also been used as a security outpost, further restricting Palestinians’ access.
Silwan is one of the most sensitive areas of Occupied Jerusalem due to its location adjacent to the Old City and bordering the southern and southeastern sides of the Aqsa Mosque compound. The town has long been the focus of Israeli settlement projects and efforts to alter its demographic composition.
Israeli forces continue to impose restrictions across Occupied Jerusalem, while repeated settler visits to the Aqsa Mosque compound and measures viewed by Palestinians as altering the status quo remain a central feature of the situation on the ground.
