News / Palestine

Palestinians declare civil disobedience in al-Quds over Israeli crimes

Sunday, 19 February 2023 5:55 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 19 February 2023 6:09 PM ]

An Israeli soldier runs during confrontations with Palestinians in Issawiya neighborhood during a general strike in East al-Quds, February 19, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

Palestinians in East al-Quds have declared a general strike and civil disobedience in protest against the repressive Israeli measures in the city and the rest of the occupied territories.

Palestinian media reports said on Sunday young protesters burnt tires and set up barricades overnight at entrances to different neighborhoods, including Shufat, Anata, Jabal al-Mukabber, Issawiya and the town of al-Ram.

Israeli forces raided some areas in the city, including Issawiya and Silwan, to remove the road barricades, leading to confrontations with protesters.

The civil disobedience action includes boycotting Israeli workplaces and refusing to pay taxes to the Israeli-run municipality and other agencies.

Palestinian factions said the protests were in response to a series of punitive measures imposed on Palestinian residents in the city by Israel's far-right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The crackdown was launched following a series of car-ramming and special operations by Palestinians earlier this month that left four Israelis dead.

In a statement on Saturday, strike organizers said Palestinians have been subjected to "retaliatory measures, abuse, torture, humiliation and daily oppression" since the attacks.

Ben-Gvir had called for disproportionate use of force and heavy-handed tactics to suppress disobedience movement.

In recent weeks, the crackdown involved demolishing at least seven buildings, arresting 100 people, setting up dozens of roadblocks and checkpoints, and confiscating money and assets from former and current political prisoners, among other measures.

Meanwhile, Israeli prison authorities have begun imposing harsher conditions against Palestinian prisoners on Ben-Gvir's directives.

Last week, Israeli media reported senior officials from internal intelligence agency Shin Bet had asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the crackdown or risk a "broad flare-up."

Shin Bet director Ronen Bar separately made a rare call to Ben-Gvir and warned him that he was "creating a feeling of collective harassment" in al-Quds and "agitating" the city.

Israeli forces violently crack down on al-Aqsa solidarity protests in West Bank

Israeli regime forces violently cracked down on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Friday following earlier raids on the al-Aqsa Mosque, leaving 344 of them injured.

Israeli forces have ramped up attacks against Palestinian towns in recent months in a bid to stifle growing Palestinian resistance in occupied cities. Dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested. Israeli troops and settlers have killed about 50 Palestinians since the start of January.

Last year, at least 220 Palestinians were killed during Israeli attacks. The 2022 Palestinian death toll in the West Bank was the highest since 2005.

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