Israel orders closure of East Jerusalem’s Burj al-Luqluq community center for 6 months

By Abdel Ra'ouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL (AA) – Israeli authorities closed the Burj al-Laqlaq Community Association in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem for six months on Tuesday, its director said.

Munther Idkeidek told Anadolu that police forces raided the association’s headquarters and delivered an order requiring its closure for six months.

“The order claims the association operates with funding from the Palestinian Authority. This is completely false and has no basis whatsoever,” Idkeidek said.

He added that a team of lawyers would challenge the Israeli decision.

Police entered the association’s headquarters in the Old City and enforced the closure, he said.

According to the text of the order signed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and reviewed by Anadolu, the decision followed information that “activity of the Palestinian Authority, or on its behalf or under its sponsorship, was taking place at Burj al-Laqlaq without written authorization.”

Burj al-Laqlaq is a historic landmark in East Jerusalem, dating back to the Ayyubid and Ottoman periods, and serves as a major community center in the Old City.

The association operates on 9.5 dunams of land adjacent to the Old City’s historic wall and hosts sports, intellectual and social activities throughout the day. The Al-Aqsa Mosque can be clearly seen from the association’s headquarters.

The association was established in 1991 to “preserve the land of Burj al-Laqlaq from Israeli settlements,” Idkeidek said.

Palestinians say the land is the only site in East Jerusalem where the Palestinian Legislative Council once convened. In 1998, members of the first council, headed by Ahmed Qureia, gathered there but faced what they described as a major assault by Israeli police.

Since its founding, the association has provided services to children and youth in the Old City and has expanded to become one of the largest associations in East Jerusalem.

Idkeidek earlier told Anadolu that the center serves children, youth and women in East Jerusalem. He said the facility includes a main soccer field, a basketball court used for girls’ training and a tent hosting sports activities such as judo and taekwondo.

Between 300 and 500 people visit the association daily to participate in its programs, he said.
Israel has closed dozens of Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem over the years.

The closure of Burj al-Laqlaq came two days after the Israeli government approved a proposal to register large areas of the West Bank as “state property,” for the first time since Israel occupied the territory in 1967.

Palestinians warn that Israel’s actions pave the way for a formal annexation of the occupied West Bank, which they say would end the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state as outlined in United Nations resolutions.

*Writing by Lina Altawell