Palestinian shop owners in Jerusalem’s Old City were forced today by the Israeli occupation police to keep their shops shuttered so that Jewish settlers can have free and easy access to the Old City on the first day of their week-long Sukkot holiday, according to local sources.
They said dozens of settlers danced and performed Jewish rituals in the Old City streets and near the gates leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, provoking the Palestinian shopkeepers and residents of the Old City.
Several shops in the routes the settlers take in the Old City were ordered to stay closed and people were kept away from the extremists and settlers as they performed their provocative rituals.
The extremist Jewish organizations have called on their followers to intensify their presence in Jerusalem’s Old City, particularly at Al-Aqsa Mosque, during the holiday to assure sovereignty over the occupied city.
Palestinian officials and religious leaders have strongly denounced these calls, warning of their consequences on the peace and security in the city and region.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA