Ramallah: The Israeli regime has ordered Palestinians in the Abu Dis neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem to take down a memorial board dedicated to a Palestinian intelligence officer who was shot dead last year by Israeli occupation forces.
Mizzen Hassan Ariba shot and wounded two Israelis at the Hizma checkpoint a year ago before he was killed. They claim the memorial is a form of “Palestinian incitement”.
He was the first member of the Palestinian security apparatus to carry out such an operation against Israelis.
The Israeli regime demolished his home. Collective punishment is regularly carried out by Israeli authorities despite international condemnation of such acts.
Residents say they will never take down the memorial board and if Israel insists “they can take it down with their own hands.”
Since October 2015, Israel and the Palestinian territories have been rocked by a series of stabbing, shooting and car ramming attacks which have left more than 280 Palestinians, 30 Israelis and three foreign nationals dead.
Palestinians have been involved in lone wolf attacks against Israelis in defence of Al Haram Al Sharif, the third holiest site in Islam, which Palestinians believe to be in imminent danger from Israelis.
Palestinians believe that the Jews (with help from their government) have been seeking to change the decades-old status quo arrangement which governs entry and access to the holy Muslim shrine.
In terms of the agreement, Jews are allowed to visit, but are strictly prohibited from performing religious rituals there.
Far-right Jewish groups have been waging an all-out assault to gain more worshipping rights at the undisputedly Muslim sacred site.
