Israel shuts down cultural fest in East Jerusalem days after banning Palestinian NGOs

Just days after outlawing major Palestinian rights groups, the State of Israel has now blocked a cultural festival being held in the conflicted East Jerusalem. On Wednesday, Israeli law enforcers, dressed as civilians, came and shut down ongoing programmes at Abraham House, as reported by Times of Israel. As Palestinians protested, Israel’s public Secutroy Minister Omer Barlev wrote that event was “with sponsorship and funding of the Palestinian Authority, and this without written permission.”

The three-day-long cultural programme started on Tuesday at Abraham House for religious pilgrims with performances by Palestinian arts groups. It was supported by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) along with Austria and Finland. Notably, a French charity manages Abraham House and the events there are conducted under the supervision of the French consulate in Jerusalem. 

For decades, Jerusalem has served as a flashpoint in Israel-Palestine conflict. Last week, Israel outlawed six Palestinian human rights groups, linking them to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian (PFLP)-whose armed wing has been accused of attacking Israelis. In a decree signed by the country’s defence minister Benny Ganz, the zionist administration said that the now-banned organisations acted as a front for PFLP which has been designated as a “terrorist organisation” by the west. However, the rights groups have asserted that it was another zionist ploy to silence their voice against Israeli suppression. Meanwhile, other observers and experts opined that it would give Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and Palestinians Liberation Army (PLA) a chance to increase their raids and arrest Arabs. 

Why is Jerusalem the flashpoint? 

The city of Jerusalem has been the bone of contention between the Arabs and the Jews for a century now. The old city of Jerusalem houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest place for Islam. The same land is also revered as the holiest in Judaism as Temple Mount. Frequent flashpoints at the site have triggered not only a war of nerves but also ammunition between Palestinians and Israelis. Earlier in May, Israel and Gaza based Hamas engaged in an 11-day long war which led to more than 200 fatalities.   

(Image: AP)