Bab al-Amud.. One of the most important gates of occupied Jerusalem facing the threat of Judaization

Bab al-Amoud area in occupied Jerusalem is facing the threat of Judaization as a result of the open war waged by the Israeli occupation and its escalation of repression, intimidation and abuse against Jerusalemites for the fifth consecutive day.

The gate, which is one of the most important gates of Jerusalem, constitutes the northern entrance to the Old City and acquires strategic importance as the main entrance to the Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the Buraq Wall. Occupation authorities have been keen to bring about changes in the features of the region and its demographic composition as the gate is a vital artery for the Jerusalemites.

With the outbreak of  Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, the occupation severely restricted the movement of Palestinians in Bab al-Amud, and in 2015 turned it into a military zone, and the Palestinians began calling Bab al-Amud “Martyrs’ Square” because dozens of martyrs were shot by the occupation in its square, which turned into one of the most prominent protest squares against the occupation and its crimes.

Bab al-Amud is no longer just an archaeological landmark of strategic importance, but has become a national symbol and a symbol of resistance against the occupation. Following intensified attacks by the Israeli occupation on the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and the town of Silwan in Jerusalem, the Israeli aggression has been focused during the past few days on Bab al-Amoud area in the Old City, which is inhabited by more than 33,000 Jerusalemites, as part of the occupation’s attempts to abolish the Palestinian presence there and Judaize it.

Dozens of settlers carry out daily incursions into Bab al-Amoud area under the protection of the occupation forces, which sent large reinforcements to the area last Sunday evening to provide protection for Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid during the storming of the Old City from the area where the Palestinians used to gather in its square after performing prayers in Al-Aqsa. On that day, dozens were injured and arrested.

The attack, which came three days after Israeli Knesset member Itamar Ben Gvir stormed  Al-Aqsa Mosque and called on the settlers to intensify their incursions into Jerusalem.This move was accompanied by repressive measures to tighten the screws on the Palestinians, as the occupation authorities closed 28 Palestinian institutions, associations and bodies operating in Jerusalem as the Orient House and the Prisoner’s Club. The occupation placed more military checkpoints near Bab al-Amud to prevent Palestinians from reaching the assembly square.

NH