The Israeli police on Saturday evening arrested the head of the chamber of commerce in Jerusalem Kamal Obeidat and his deputy Raed Sa’ada and took them for interrogation over their organization of an Iftar gathering for journalists.
The police accompanied by intelligence officers stormed Jerusalem Hotel surrounded it forced all people inside the hotel out and distributed an order banning Ramadan Iftar gatherings in the place.
The Israeli authorities have been gradually trying to ban Palestinian events of any kind in Jerusalem encouraged by the US recognition of the holy city as Israel’s capital.
In another context the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality on Sunday morning confiscated equipment belonging to Palestinian shops in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The municipality claimed that the owners of these shops had brought the confiscated equipment without obtaining a legal license.
The Ramadan season was always considered a chance by Jerusalem traders to revive the city’s economy. However Israel’s tightened restrictions recently have created a state of stagnation among Jerusalem markets.
These measures include the municipality’s daily targeting of Palestinian shops and stalls especially in the Old City and the ban imposed on Palestinian women coming from neighboring villages to sell their vegetables and handcrafts in Jerusalem.
