Israel restricts the entry of Palestinians to Jerusalem

Israeli authorities set new restrictions Tuesday on Palestinians entering Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank after attacks targeting Israeli military and settlers, revoking the entry permits of hundreds set to travel during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The announcement by COGAT, the agency that manages civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory, was the latest reversal to measures easing movement for Palestinians for Ramadan.

The new restrictions now require a permit for women aged between 16 and 30 to enter Jerusalem on Fridays. The same applies for men aged 30-50, while those under the age of 12 and over 50 can enter without a permit.

Israel announced at the beginning of Ramadan that women of all ages and men over 40 from the West Bank would be allowed to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for the duration of the holy month.

While Israel initially eased travel restrictions for Palestinians this year, authorities said such increases in movement came on the condition that security wasn’t “breached.”

Ramadan often offers a rare opportunity for Palestinians to visit East Jerusalem, part of Palestinian territory occupied by Israel, as entry to the city remains strictly limited during rest of the year.

For residents of the Gaza Strip, the freedom of movement is restricted further. Although Israel announced that 800 people from the blockaded enclave could attend the prayers at Al-Aqsa compound during Ramadan, the entry of 500 people was revoked after a rocket fired from Gaza on June 24 landed in an open area in Ashkelon in the western Negev.

The revocation of Gazan travel permits came while several others were detained or barred from the compound by Israeli forces and permission for 500 West Bank Palestinians to fly via Israel’s Ben Gurion airport was cancelled.

Wednesday’s new restrictions were instated after Israeli military checkpoints and areas around illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank have witnessed increasing violent incidents in recent days.

Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian man Tuesday at the Qalandiya checkpoint in Ramallah after he allegedly charged an Israeli soldier, and on Monday a soldier was lightly injured after a Palestinian stabbed her at a military checkpoint in Bethlehem.

In a separate event, an Israeli settler Malachi Rosenfeld, 26, was shot dead Monday near the Kochav Hashachar settlement where he lived.

In response to the increase in stabbings and shootings by Palestinians on Israeli military and settlers inside of the occupied West Bank over the past 10 days, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon alleged Tuesday that “there was no doubt that one of the significant factors behind the attacks was incitement, specifically of the Palestinian Authority.”

Since the beginning of 2015, an average of two Israelis have been injured by Palestinians, while around 38 Palestinians are injured by Israeli forces a week inside of occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

    
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Jerusalem Fund.

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