Ramallah: Israeli occupation forces stormed Al Ezariyah neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, and have permanently sealed off the Al Awdah series of wedding halls.
They claim that noise and disturbance from the halls is bothering the residents of the nearby Ma’aleh Adumim Israeli colony.
According to the Israelis, residents of the colony have submitted an official complaint, particularly about shots fired and a great deal of noise at Palestinian weddings.
Adham Al Taweel, the owner and manager of the wedding halls, said that a large number of military personnel raided his premises and sealed off the facility.
“Jerusalemites have been strictly adhering to rules regarding not firing weapons or using of the fireworks at their weddings,” said Bassam Bahar, who heads the local committee in defence of Abu Dis. “The unjustifiable closure of the facility has caused at least 30 people to lose their jobs, and will have a very negative effect on the residents of the area who depend on these halls to celebrate their weddings.”
Palestinian construction in East Jerusalem has been suspended by Israel since 1967, when the regime occupied the city. Only 20 building permits have been granted to Jerusalemites since then, making the closure of these wedding halls devastating for residents as new ones cannot be built.
Bahar noted that the occupation forces initially claimed the colonists were afraid for their lives when Jerusalemites shot celebratory gunshots into the air during their wedding ceremonies. However, when they were unable to prove this allegation, they adopted the narrative that it was the noise at these Palestinian wedding ceremonies that was disturbing the colonists.
“The occupation forces have been searching for a reason to seal off the wedding halls as a collective punishment against the neighbourhood,” Bahar told Gulf News. “They carefully select essential facilities and close them down to make life harder for Jerusalemites.”
The occupation forces also suspended the dawn Islamic call to prayers in the three mosques located in Abu Dis (Al Rahman, Al Tayeb and Al Jamea’a), after colonists complained that the early morning call was disturbing their sleep.a
