Over the last several weeks, the cycle of violence in Jerusalem has been freshly renewed; the latest attack occurring as this alert is being produced. 

Ir Amim draws immediate attention to the imminent eviction of the Abu Nab family from their home in the Batan al-Hawah section of Silwan, which goes into effect October 11-25.  For several months, Ir Amim has been reporting on the escalating crisis in Batan al-Hawah, where the Ateret Cohanim settler group is waging a full scale effort to take over 88 Palestinian homes in this densely populated section of the neighborhood.  Violence has sharply increased in Batan al-Hawah parallel to the current escalation in city-wide violence.  Residents report sustained harassment by settlers, physical altercations between residents and settlers and police, and community activists being summoned for police investigation.  These recent events in Batan al-Hawah--one of the closest Palestinian neighborhoods to Al Aqsa--represent systemic and enduring forces contributing to the current outbreak of violence in Jerusalem, including state financed private security protection for settlers in Palestinian neighborhoods and  state sponsorship of touristic settlement projects like City of David and the recently approved Kedem Compound (see third item in alert), both in Silwan. 

All efforts must be made to appeal to the prime minister to halt the eviction in Batan al-Hawah.  If the consequences to the Abu Nab family and the Batan al-Hawa community were not already dire prior to the recent outbreak of violence in Jerusalem, failure to take action will not only elevate violence in this historically high conflict area but will also have severe political ramifications.

Another failure to contain the cycle of violence that erupted in the summer of 2014—which featured a rash of settler takeovers in the Wadi Hilweh section of Silwan—is the government’s diluted response to unchecked violence and incitement by radical nationalist anti-Palestinian groups.  Two of the most active of these groups—Lehava and La Familia—are promoting a march scheduled for 9:00 PM tonight, starting in Gan Sacher and continuing through the Old City to the Western Wall.  Followers of anti-miscegenation group Lehava recently renewed their violent attacks on Palestinians in downtown Jerusalem.  The group of notoriously violent Beitar Jerusalem football fans known as La Familia is best recognized for its 2012 rampage against Palestinians in Jerusalem’s Malcha Mall.

All of these activities are occurring against the backdrop of unabated tensions on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif.  Continued restrictions on Muslim access to the compound, failure to stem the provocative activities of radical Temple Mount activists ascending to the compound, and blocking Palestinian access to the Old City only aggravate Palestinian fears of Israeli plans to divide the sacred site.  As anticipated by Ir Amim’s years of monitoring, the recent high holidays—an annual period of intensified activity by Temple Mount activists—has played a principal role in igniting the current round of violence.

Ir Amim issues the following recommendations for immediate steps the Israeli government must take to prevent further escalation of violence in Jerusalem and quell mounting tensions across the city:

• Return to guidelines regarding access to the Temple Mount: Israel must act in accordance with its commitment to refrain from any changes to the status quo on the Temple Mount/Haram Al-Sharif.  All prohibitions limiting access of Muslim worshipers (limitations by age or gender) must be lifted.  Time and again it is proven that lifting of access limitations reduces violence in Jerusalem and reassures the Palestinian public that the Israeli government is not taking steps to implement long-term changes at the holy site. Ministers and politicians must refrain from visits to the compound—a major source of provocation—and swift actions taken against the inflammatory activities of Temple Mount activists.
• Refrain from unnecessary measures that inflame the current situation: Collective punishment, whether in the Old City or in Palestinian neighborhoods, must be stopped.  Such collective punishments include road closures, punitive housing demolitions and barring Palestinian access to the Old City.   The authorities must cease support for aggressive measures taken against Palestinians—most urgently, by halting the imminent evictions in the Batan al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan.
• Cooperate with local Palestinian leadership in efforts to both reduce current tensions and address long-term socio-economic needs, including investment in significantly upgrading infrastructure and services in the Palestinian neighborhoods in coordination with local residents and their elected committees.
• Support Palestinian civil society organizations in their non-violent struggle to address the needs of East Jerusalem residents, including civic campaigns to encourage progress in the areas of planning, education, infrastructure, land protection and preservation of the collective identity of the Palestinian community of East Jerusalem.  The authorities must regard these campaigns as a legitimate means of civic action and refrain from suppressing activities or delegitimizing their leaders.  
• Advance a political resolution on the city: A long-term solution in Jerusalem is possible only through an agreed political settlement regarding the city. We call upon the Israeli government to renew meaningful negotiations with the Palestinian national leadership.

Please address all inquiries to:

Betty Herschman

Director of International Relations & Advocacy

Ir Amim (City of Nations/City of Peoples)

betty@ir-amim.org.il

054-308-5096

@IrAmimAlerts