Palestinian events banned in East Jerusalem
Israel has stepped up efforts to block Palestinian activities in East Jerusalem and is closing major institutions in the city.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Israeli forces in East Jerusalem prevented a lecture on the Israeli demolition of Jerusalemite homes from being delivered Aug. 17 at the Burj Luqluq Social Center Society. The lecture had been organized by Burj Luqluq in cooperation with the Palestinian Bar Association.
The same forces stopped a ceremony from being held Aug. 6 in honor of the late athlete Ahmad Adilah at The East Jerusalem YMCA because the ceremony was sponsored by the Palestinian Authority. They also prevented a memorial service for the Palestinian writer Subhi Ghosheh from taking place Aug. 5 at the Yabous Cultural Center. They stormed the center and assaulted participants. Four randomly selected participants were summoned by the Israeli intelligence for interrogation at the Al-Maskobiyya Interrogation Center in Jerusalem.
These actions come from Minister of Internal Security Gilad Ardan's Aug. 5 order to extend the closure of Palestinian institutions in the city and prohibit any cultural or political activities held by Palestinian organizations. The decision deems such events terror activities that violate Israeli sovereignty and laws in the city.
Ghosheh is a well-known Jerusalemite figure. He studied medicine at the American University of Beirut and co-founded Al Makassed Charitable Society in 1956 and Al-Makassed Charitable Society Hospital in 1968. After Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan and Syria in 1967 and occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Sinai, southern Lebanon and the Golan Heights, he founded the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front in Jerusalem and was subsequently arrested and deported in 1971. He died in Jordan on April 30.
