The Palestine Prisoners Center for Studies monitored 2000 cases of detention of Jerusalemites during the past year, including 360 children and 82 women.
Riyadh Al-Ashqar, Director of the Center, said that the arrests of Jerusalemites increased during the past year, despite the Corona pandemic, and the city of Jerusalem topped the Palestinian cities in the number of arrests, indicating that the rate of arrests from Jerusalem constituted about 42% of the rate of arrests that took place all over the Palestinian territories. During the past year, which amounted to 4,700 arrests.
He pointed out that the occupation is using the heavy stick of arrests against the Jerusalemites as a means of collective punishment in order to deter them from defending the Holy City, and to confront the escalating incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and aims to push them to emigrate and empty the city of its original inhabitants, and it comes within the direct targeting of Al-Aqsa, the holy sites, the Palestinian presence and the historical and religious status of the Holy City. .
The arrests affected many elderly people, most notably Abd al-Rahim Barbar (80 years), from the Ras al-Amud neighborhood, and the elderly Ali Ajaj (70 years), from the Old City.
Al-Ashqar indicated that the town of Issawiya received the largest share of arrests, as it recorded (620) arrests in it, which constitutes a third of the arrests from Jerusalem, followed by the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque (380) cases, and from Old Jerusalem, the arrest cases reached (280) cases. In Silwan, (260) cases were recorded, and in Shuafat (110) cases of arrest, and from Al-Tur (130) cases of detention.
The month of January of last year witnessed the highest rate of arrests in Jerusalem, which amounted to about 245 cases, and the lowest was in April, which amounted to 90 arrests.
He pointed out that the arrests also affected a number of Islamic and national leaders from Jerusalem, including the head of the Supreme Islamic Authority and the preacher of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Ikrimah Sabri (81 years), Sheikh Najeh Bikirat, Deputy Director General of Islamic Endowments, the Governor of Jerusalem Adnan Ghaith, and Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Fadi Al-Hudmi And the director of the prisoner club, Nasser Qous, and the director of Al-Aqsa, Sheikh Omar Al-Kiswani
He noted that last year the occupation escalated the targeting of Jerusalemite women, especially the Almorabitat in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as the cases of detention among women reached 82 cases, including 10 minors, and the occupation continued to target the stationed in Al-Aqsa Mosque under the pretext of confronting the incursions of settlers, and some of them were arrested more than once Over the past months.
Al-Ashqar pointed out that the arrests from Jerusalem reached minor children, as the cases of detention among minors from Jerusalem reached (360) children, among them (41) children under the age of 14 years, the youngest of whom was Moaz Awiwi (10 years) from Al-Issawiya who was kidnapped by Unit of the Arabists.
The occupation is not satisfied with arrest warrants for al-Quds people, but rather targets them after their release with house arrest decisions, as well as imposing the penalty of removal from homes and heavy fines.
During the past year, the occupation issued (360) decisions to deport Jerusalemites, including (305) deportation decisions from Al-Aqsa Mosque, (44) deportation decisions from Old Jerusalem, and 11 decisions to deport Jerusalemites. He also issued (130) decisions for home detention during the year 2020, and these decisions are an alternative to imprisonment and aim at home residency and restricting the freedom of people, especially children, as well as heavy financial fines, estimated at tens of thousands of dollars, were imposed on those who were arrested and brought before the courts, whether they were sentenced to imprisonment. Actual fine accompanies the fine, or a fine only in exchange for their release.
