In the last two weeks, the Israeli Police have detained 20 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel, “on suspicion of incitement and support for terrorism” on the eve of Ramadan, which begins on Monday, with the risk of outbreaks of violence in parallel to the war in Gaza.
“Based on past experiences, there are those who try to take advantage of the days of Ramadan to spread rumors, fake news, and distorted information on social networks, including terrorist organizations and elements that exploit the holiday to incite and spread falsehoods about the reality in Jerusalem, particularly in the Old City and on the Temple Mount,” a police spokesman said of the arrests.
The Muslim holy month is scheduled to begin tomorrow, which is always experienced with tension in East Jerusalem, where hundreds of thousands of Muslims come to pray every day, especially on Fridays, at the Esplanade of the Mosques, which houses the Al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, which is the third holiest place in Islam after Mecca and Medina, in Saudi Arabia.
Al Aqsa is also a national symbol for the Palestinian cause, and in Ramadan young people take the opportunity to fly Palestinian flags, or even militias such as Hamas or Islamic Jihad, something seen by Israel as incitement to terrorism, which is why police charges are frequent on campus during that month.
“The Israeli police have completed their preparations in Jerusalem for the month of Ramadan, which begins this week, in order to allow the safe conduct of prayers, in accordance with the decision of the political level and security considerations,” he noted. the police statement.
According to the police, in recent days there has been a notable increase in “provocative and distorted calls and posts” on social media in Arabic, which is why the Jerusalem district police have carried out operations to “arrest the inciters.” .
Given the explosive potential of Ramadan, the mediating countries between Israel and Hamas – Qatar, Egypt and the United States – are redoubling their efforts to reach a truce agreement in the Strip in the first days of the Muslim holy month, given the failure last week of close an agreement before the date.
The Israel Police indicated that they will do everything possible to “allow the celebration of Ramadan safely on the Temple Mount (as Israel and the Jews call the Esplanade)”, while dealing “with determination and without concessions to the instigators , terrorists and perpetrators of riots”.
