Israel to ban Celebrations of East Jerusalem ‘capital of Arab culture’

from The Palestine Telegraph

While in East Jerusalem hundreds homes demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their houses are still ongoing, also the Palestinian culture is a target of the Israeli policies.

At least 20 organizers have been arrested for attempting to celebrate Arab culture in the city of Jerusalem over the past two days. On 19th March Israeli soldiers broke into a meeting of senior planners for the Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture 2009 events, seized documents, personal papers and one laptop and harassed committee members. On Saturday 21st, the Israeli police stormed a school and community centre, and today 23rd March at least seven people, including one American and one Danish solidarity activists, have been arrested during a protest tent in Sheikh Jarrah, which was erected to protest the evictions of Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem.

Moreover, additional police has been deployed in order to prevent the event because according to the Israeli Authorities, the festival is illegal since it is sponsored by the Palestinian Authority (PA).

All PA activities have been banned in the city since 2000. East Jerusalem is illegally occupied since 1967 and later annexed by Israel as his "eternal and indivisible capital" even if the international community does not recognize Israeli rights over East Jerusalem.

These are clear actions aimed to completely delete physically but also culturally the Palestinian presence from their own lands, erasing all cultural heritage, past and present, flying in the face of all legality. 

However the threats have not changed plans for the event: the official opening day has been celebrated last Sunday 22nd in Bethlehem, behind the Israeli annexation wall, with the participation of about 1,500 dignitaries, delegates, poets, officials and Palestinian bureaucrats. Amongst the activities also series of traditional children’s games, run by dozens of volunteers, at Damascus Gate - the main entrance to the Old City.

There is a need of a powerful signal by the International Community, including Europe, in order to support and guarantee the carrying out of this event. It’s up to us to firmly protest and to put pressure on Israel for the end of all its violation and of the occupation, in East Jerusalem, as well as in the entire occupied West Bank and in the besieged Gaza Strip.

We should do it, not only for the Palestinians’ right to live in their own land in sovereignty as well as the Israelis, but also for our dignity.