Israel sets up roadblocks around Palestinian neighborhoods in al-Quds

Israeli forces have set up concrete blocks around several neighborhoods in East al-Quds (Jerusalem), imposing more restrictions on Palestinians’ movement in the occupied city.

Israeli paramilitary border police used their vehicles to block exits at the edge of Jabel Mukabar, Ras al-Amud  and several other Palestinian neighborhoods in East al-Quds on Thursday.

Israeli forces examined the identity papers of Palestinian motorists and carried out body searches in the occupied region.

Israel has announced further drastic measures to intensify its crackdown on Palestinians. It has eased firearms laws for Israeli settlers and stripped some Palestinian citizens of their residency permits.

The new measures come after Israeli cabinet had authorized the East al-Quds crackdown in an overnight session.

Dimitrii Delliani, an official in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement, said closing entrances to Palestinian neighborhoods was "collective punishment in violation of all international law."

A spokesman for the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in the occupied West Bank said the immediate aim was to stem the uprising against the occupational policies of the Israeli regime.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Palestinians have the right to defend themselves against the Israeli occupation.

This is the first speech by Abbas since the violence broke out between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the occupied territories two weeks ago.

The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations has requested the international body to deploy protection forces in East al-Quds. Riyad Mansour described the situation in the West Bank as explosive, calling for the formation of an international force to guarantee the preservation of the status quo in the occupied territory.

The fresh uprising come amid the recent deadly tension between the Tel Aviv regime and Palestinians triggered by Israel’s imposition of sweeping restrictions on entries into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds on August 26 and Israeli settlers’ repeated attacks on the mosque.

According to Palestinian sources, a total of 32 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israelis since October 1. At least 7 Israeli have reportedly been killed in the same period.

Palestinians are furious at the settler violence and a plan by Israelis to change the status quo of the mosque, which is Islam’s third holiest site after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina.

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