Ahmad Manasra’s childhood was stolen from him by Israeli military courts. His life mirrors those of thousands of Palestinian children who have been targeted by Israel since birth.
The mass outpouring of national unity that followed the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh reflects a historic moment of Palestinian struggle and consciousness. What began last year during the Unity Intifada in reaction to the attacks on Gaza and Sheikh Jarrah has now continued through the Gilboa Prison escape and the martyrdom of Abu Akleh. Palestinian political and civil society leaders must now maintain the momentum of this solidarity that Abu Akleh’s departure has left.
Zionism has fragmented the multi-religious population in Palestine geographically, religiously, socially, and politically. In the process it has denied them one of the simplest rights a human being could ever yearn for — the right to pray in peace.
An Israeli government plan to officially register the land in East Jerusalem could effectively and irreversibly lead to the confiscation of vast swaths of Palestinian property. Ahmad Amara discusses the dire implications of this move for the people of Jerusalem, and the future of the city.
Led by Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), eight members of Congress sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing their “[deep concern about] the rise in attacks against the Christian community in Jerusalem.”
The State of Israel is responsible for upholding the status quo in Jerusalem, and guaranteeing the sanctity of the Haram al-Sharif and the dignity of its Muslim worshippers. Violently disrupting Ramadan prayers, beating unarmed worshippers and intimidating Muslims in Jerusalem is absolutely not the way of peace. We call on the State of Israel to immediately commit to abstaining from any further violations of the Waqf’s authority on the Haram al-Sharif. — A letter to Illinois Muslims from 13 rabbis of T’ruah.
Israel stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacked worshipers, journalists, and medics at the holy site in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday, following a week of continued raids and assaults by Israeli forces. Over the past eight days, Israel has stormed the holy site seven times, injuring dozens of worshipers and arresting hundreds of Palestinians in the process. Meanwhile Israel has facilitated the entrance of thousands of Jewish settlers for the Passover holiday.
“We deplore the Israeli government’s decision to introduce senseless violence to a prayer space. There was no need for the violence we witnessed. This situation
could have been defused peacefully. This Ramadan/Easter/Passover Israel betrayed its trust with the world’s Muslims, Christians and Jews.” From JVP rabbis’ statement on the fourth day of Passover.
Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Sunday and attacked Palestinian worshipers at the site in order to facilitate Jewish tours of the site for the Passover holiday. The raids on the compound on Sunday were the second in 48 hours, and featured heavily armed Israeli police officers beating Palestinians with batons, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at crowds, and locking worshipers inside the prayer halls.
Jerusalem’s Greek Orthodox Patriarchate condemns restrictions imposed by Jerusalem police on the numbers of Palestinian Christians that may enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre this Saturday, one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar. “The Patriarchate is fed up with police restrictions on freedom to worship,” the Patriarchate statement reads, “with its unacceptable methods of dealing with the God given rights of Christians to… have to access their holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.”