For Palestinians, US embassy switch cements occupation enviornment quo

Occupied East Jerusalem – Tens of 1000’s of Jewish settlers, surrounded by police protection, have marched around the Historic Metropolis, celebrating Jerusalem Day on the eve of the US embassy switch from Tel Aviv.

The annual tournament, which commemorates the Israeli annexation of occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, is regarded by the metropolis’s Palestinian population as a deliberate provocation.

Past occasions have viewed Palestinian-owned stores smashed up and Palestinian counter-protests being viciously suppressed by Israeli police.

Love in earlier years, avenue closures and barricades had been space up on Sunday to scrupulously restrict Palestinians from accessing the avenue main to Damascus Gate, one in every of the entrances to the Historic Metropolis.

« The Palestinian Jerusalemite this present day lives with a hundred sticks raining down his head, » Osama Barham, an activist within the metropolis, told Al Jazeera.

« That is to claim, he’s oppressed from all instructions. »

Barham used to be standing off to 1 aspect conclude by Damascus Gate, the set a small group of Palestinian and Arab media shops had gathered.

Below them, a colossal congregation of white and blue had amassed on the stone steps. Some danced in rings in a frenetic means. Others shouted slogans in fervor.

« The US embassy switch is now not the finest teach here, » Barham acknowledged, explaining that for Palestinian residents this kind of building used to be merely the expected final end result after decades of occupation.

« We weren’t unnerved or surprised to listen to the files when US President Donald Trump announced [in December 2017] his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, » he added.

« What is a lot extra perilous to us than an embassy switch is our actuality: the onslaught of the Judaisation of the metropolis, the Israelification of our society, the exile of Palestinian residents, the demolishment of Palestinian homes and the raiding of the al-Aqsa compound by settlers. »

« Jerusalem is below occupation so we attain now not feel care for we’re in anguish thanks to the embassy’s recent enviornment in west Jerusalem, » Barham added.

The singing and chanting of the settlers’ drowned the drums and trumpets of a marching band of their midst. A broad bawl went up as Israeli police removed a barricade and allowed the settlers to chase into the Historic Metropolis.

Marchers wave Israeli flags at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Historic Metropolis [Baz Ratner/Reuters]

‘The guts of the Palestinian motive’

Earlier, heaps of of settlers raided the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the zero.33-holiest location in Islam. They raised the Israeli flag and prayed there.

Confrontations with Palestinians ensued, ensuing in as a minimal one arrest, sooner than the settlers left the compound.

All over the Historic Metropolis, within the neighbourhood of Sheikh Lulu, Umm Jihad stood out of doorways her home, preserving an view out on her kids and giving instructions to men finding bother reaching their very gain homes as a result of the Israeli-imposed closures.

« I am hoping that many folks will be out protesting the next day because we desire as noteworthy give a boost to as conceivable, » she told Al Jazeera, relating to the deliberate demonstrations on Monday against the embassy relocation.

« This day, we can not switch around the metropolis since the Israeli forces have practically barricaded us in our gain homes. »

She acknowledged the US embassy switch wouldn’t change the « will of the Palestinians ».

« No one will dwell silent within the face of what the US and Israel are doing, » she acknowledged.

« Jerusalem is the center of the Palestinian motive, and each Palestinian who lives here feels its significance of their very bones. »

Arab world ‘silent’

The legit opening of the US embassy, which is sharp to happen at 1pm local time (10:00 GMT) will be attended by an American delegation, which contains Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who is additionally an adviser to the president.

Israeli Top Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted a gala reception on Sunday afternoon for the US delegation.

The reception prolonged an originate invitation to the entire Knesset members. Out of the country dignitaries had been additionally invited, however most of the European ambassadors acknowledged they’d boycott the tournament.

Afaf al-Dajani: « I don’t understand why the Arab world is silent » [Linah Alsaafin/Al Jazeera]

Standing on the avenue opposite of Damascus Gate, Afaf al-Dajani, head of an orphanage association within the Historic Metropolis, sever a lone figure within the early night light as she regarded at the thinning crowds of Jewish settlers.

« For certain we can suffer with this recent embassy enviornment, » she told Al Jazeera.

« We already suffer from the presence of all these settlers, and I imagine the US embassy’s recent location will help extra of this. »

She took in a wavering breath as Israeli police mounted on squaddies clopped by.

« I don’t understand why the Arab world is silent about all of this and are staring at these occasions as whether it is some distance a film in a cinema, » she acknowledged. « The set are their consciences? »

But for Barham, the fate of the Palestinian residents of the metropolis used to be sure for the reason that Israeli occupation extra than 50 years within the past.

« We by no means relied on out of doorways intervention or the Arab armies to attain to our rescue, » he acknowledged.

« We understood that we’d be by myself on this battle against occupation. »

Discover Linah Alsaafin on Twitter: @LinahAlsaafin