2,700-year-old water reservoir thought built by King Hezekiah to be opened to public; critics say move is part of plan to expand Jewish presence in Palestinian neighborhood
As Israeli religious settlers continue to storm the Al-Aqsa compound, Israeli police forces persist in restricting Palestinians' access to the sanctuary.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has contested the policy as “discriminatory and illegal,” though the High Court upheld the ministry’s practice in 2014.
According to left-wing Israeli organization Peace Now, the Housing Ministry spends NIS 100 million ($31 million) per year on funding for private security guards for Jewish homes in East Jerusalem.
A view of Silwan from the Meyuhas house in the City of David. (Shmuel Bar-Am)
Mheisen’s brother, Shadi, described the attack to the Walla news site: “He was praying today at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, went back down to his house and was caught by security guards there. They asked him ‘where are you going?’ And he said he was going home. They sprayed him with gas, he fell to the floor and they started beating him.”