Jerusalem in September.. Loud violations at Al-Aqsa and collective punishments

The month of September did not pass without severe violations carried out by the Israeli occupation as part of a systematic policy to empty Jerusalem of its residents. Most of the violations documented this month can be categorized under the umbrella of "collective punishment."

Collective punishments were imposed on about 70,000 Palestinians living in the villages located northwest of Jerusalem, following the martyrdom of two young men from the villages of Qabiba and Qatna, which belong to this geography, after a shooting operation they carried out on the morning of the 8th of last month in the settlement neighborhood of "Ramot."

The operation resulted in the death of 7 Israelis and injuries to more than 15 others, while the two perpetrators, Muthna Amro (20 years old) and Muhammad Taha (21 years old), were martyred, and the occupation authorities continue to hold their bodies in freezers.

Following the operation, the occupation decided to impose collective punishments on the residents of the areas northwest of Jerusalem, starting with the closure of what is known as the "Biddu Tunnel" leading to it, followed by a massive arrest campaign that coincided with the storming of most citizens' homes, especially in the villages of Qabiba and Qatna, and culminating in the demolition of the home of one of the perpetrators, Muthna Amro.

Unprecedented measures and punishments cannot be separated from the decision to classify both the villages of Nabi Samuel and Beit Iksa and the Khalayla neighborhood as contact areas, which were part of the collective punishments targeting Palestinians during the past month. The process of issuing special cards and permits for residents of these areas began, and entry will only be allowed for holders of these permits.

In Al-Aqsa Mosque, violations continued to be carried out by the occupation police on one side and leaders of the Temple groups and their supporters on the other. Throughout the month, 5,050 extremists entered the courtyards, and incursions were carried out on the occasion of the Hebrew New Year over three days, during which 1,317 settlers stormed the mosque.

During their celebration of this holiday, the extremists deliberately blew the shofar inside the courtyards of the first qibla 5 times, in addition to singing, group dancing, performing prayers, and collectively performing the epic prostration ritual. Some of the intruders were keen to wear "repentance" white clothes, which Jewish law stipulates should be worn during the first ten days of the year as they are "days of repentance."

This clothing reinforces the imposition of the biblical identity in Al-Aqsa, which is the main goal of its repeated wearing by the intruders at all times of the year, not just during these days. This white attire is also one of the outfits worn by the Temple priests throughout the year.

Thus, its imposition in Al-Aqsa serves to pave the way for the presence of the Temple priests in the mosque, as they are the class that leads Jewish prayers in the alleged temple according to the biblical myth. The impact of their presence in Al-Aqsa becomes multiplied, according to researcher on Jerusalem affairs Ziad Abu Heis.

The assaults in Al-Aqsa Mosque were not limited to the celebrations of the Hebrew New Year; violations were recorded throughout the month, including settlers deliberately celebrating the anniversary of the "Bager" operation in Lebanon through a mass incursion during which they commemorated an Israeli soldier killed there.

Extremist Yehuda Glick also led a special incursion to commemorate Charlie Kirk days after his death in America. The "Beit El" organization published a photo of dozens of intruders and wrote, "Dozens prayed yesterday on the Temple Mount in memory of the late Charlie Kirk and for the kidnapped and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, as well as for widows and orphans."

At the western wall of the mosque, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stormed the Buraq Square accompanied by Netanyahu, and they performed prayers there. The next day, Rubio participated in the opening of a new section of the "Pilgrims' Path" tunnel that was dug beneath the town of Silwan south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Before the Hebrew New Year, extremists blew the shofar inside the courtyards and performed morning and evening prayers, as well as the "Selichot" prayer, which extremists had deliberately begun to perform in Al-Aqsa weeks earlier.

Regarding arrests, 105 arrests were carried out in the Jerusalem governorate, according to Al Jazeera's documentation, affecting 9 minors and two women, with most concentrated in the villages northwest of Jerusalem. The occupation