Europeans for al-Quds association confirmed that the Israeli occupation authorities escalated the perpetration of human rights violations in Jerusalem during April 2021, by a decision from the highest Israeli political level, and during this month Israeli plans to carry out mass demolitions and displacement in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, which are crimes that amount to ethnic cleansing operations.

The Israeli occupation authorities escalated the perpetration of human rights violations in Jerusalem during April 2021, as an Israeli attempt to impose new incidents in the Damascus Gate area leading to the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque emerged. The Jerusalemites responded to these measures with daily confrontations that left dozens of injuries and detainees.

In the monthly report monitoring the Israeli attacks in Jerusalem, Europeans for al-Quds monitored the Israeli army’s perpetration of 1080 violations varied between 14 types of human rights violations. The majority of these violations were complex. Arrests constitute the highest percentage of these violations, with 23.1%, followed by injuries with 18.2%, beatings with 16.7%, and incursions with 15.6%.

These data indicate that violations have doubled this month compared to the previous month, as they reached 498 violations. The increase in violations came in light of the occupation’s attempt to impose new facts in the Damascus Gate area, which witnessed daily confrontations throughout the nights of the holy month of Ramadan.

It is noteworthy that demolition decisions, settlement decisions, and Judaization, which carried out in mass displacement operations that amount to ethnic cleansing operations, are the most prominent and dangerous violations.

The report monitored 71 shooting and direct attacks by the Israeli army in the neighborhoods of occupied Jerusalem, which resulted in the death of Osama Muhammad Sidqi Mansour, 42, and the wounding of his wife Sumaya Ezzat Abd al-Nabi al-Kiswani, 36, after their car was targeted by Israeli bullets in a military checkpoint between the towns of Bado and Al-Jib, northeast of occupied Jerusalem.

In addition, 197 civilians, including four journalists were injured in excessive use of force without any justification. Also, dozens of people suffocated from tear gas, and many cases were subjected to beatings and severe violence from the occupation forces.

Europeans for al-Quds team documented that the occupation forces carried out 168 incursions in the towns and neighborhoods of Jerusalem, which resulted in the arrest of 249 civilians, including 150 during the Damascus Gate clashes. There were 22 children and 4 women among the detainees. Moreover, imposing house arrest on at least 35 citizens were documented.

During this month, the report monitored 13 attacks varied between demolition and notifications in occupied Jerusalem, which resulted in the demolition of 3 homes, 2 of them self-demolition, 8 commercial establishments, and the paving of a settlement road, as well as the demolition of many homes.

It is emphasized that the Israeli occupation authorities are seeking to impose a demographic change in the city of Jerusalem, and for this purpose, they employ all their governmental, political, and security branches. On the other hand, the settlers and their settlement associations are given free rein to control the largest possible number of properties in the city.

During this month, Europeans for Jerusalem monitored 3 Israeli decisions that would perpetuate the settlement crimes and Judaization in occupied

Jerusalem. They varied between the decisions to seize homes, confiscate lands, and build hundreds of new settlement units.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is still the target of the Israeli occupation through repeated incursions by the occupation forces and settlers on one hand, and the prevention of restoration operations and obstacles to the arrival of Muslim worshipers on the other hand.

The head of the Europeans for al-Quds, Mohammad Hannoun, confirmed that field documentation showed the escalation of attacks by the Israeli occupation forces and settlers during this month, especially during the days of the holy month of Ramadan, in the occupied city of Jerusalem.

Since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, the Damascus Gate area has witnessed an Israeli attempt to impose a new de-facto law that prohibits Palestinian citizens from gathering in the square leading to the Old City, which triggered daily confrontations that continue until the preparation of this report, said Hannoun.

The occupation forces also continued their severe violations of the right to life and physical integrity, and continued to use excessive force and continued to commit a policy of abuse and pressure on Jerusalemites and imposing an atmosphere that makes their lives difficult in parallel with the escalation of arrests and the continuing demolitions and destruction within a systematic policy to impose a fait accompli that establishes the Judaization of Jerusalem and re-changes its geographical and demographic character.

He stressed the illegality of any de-facto measures taken by the occupation authorities in occupied Jerusalem, noting that all measures taken by them following the occupation of the city in 1967 do not change its legal status as an occupied territory.

Europeans for al-Quds association called on the European Parliament and the international community to urgently intervene to ensure the protection of Jerusalemites from Israeli attacks, stressing that the city of Jerusalem is occupied according to historical rights and United Nations resolutions, and any measures and practices with force of brutality will not change this right.