Occupied Jerusalem- Under the influence of anesthesia, the young man Sinan Barkat Abu Al-Filat is lying in the intensive care unit of the Israeli “Shaare Zedek” Hospital, west of Jerusalem, after his injury was described as serious as a result of live bullets being fired at him and his father, while they were closing their shop in the Bazaar Market in the Old City of the city.
Tel Aviv Tribune Net followed Sinan’s story and listened to the narration of his brother Anas, who was one of the eyewitnesses to the incident. He said that he was with his brother and father preparing to close the store at the end of their work day and began bringing in goods, but they were surprised when a group of settlers attacked them, beat them and insulted them.
As soon as the merchant neighbors of the Abu Al-Filat family arrived, the settlers mobilized, and one of them prepared his weapon and fired into the air. Another shot directly at Sinan’s arm with an M16 rifle, and the third surprised him with a bullet in his leg, then they assaulted everyone present.
Victim arrested
As soon as the Israeli police arrived, Sinan was taken to the hospital and – in the blink of an eye – he became a detainee. His family was prevented from seeing him or being with him. After 20 hours, his lawyers were able to obtain a decision to release him.
According to his brother Anas, “Doctors said that Sinan’s condition is stable after undergoing a 6-hour surgery, and that he will undergo two additional surgeries in his leg and arm.”
While Anas – who was detained for hours and released on the condition that he be removed from the Old City – confirms that the attack and injuries were carried out by settlers, after the incident occurred on Wednesday, the occupation police were quick to consider that what happened was a quarrel that broke out between Jerusalemites “and 4 young men who were walking in the street armed,” and they were A regular soldier, two reserve forces soldiers, and a fourth civilian. However, video clips circulated showed that all the settlers were wearing civilian uniforms, and none of them was working as a soldier.
The facts of the incident confirm that the settlers, whether they are at the head of their military service or outside of it, deal with the Jerusalemites with a policy of light hand on the trigger, according to which the occupation police and army also deal around the clock.
The law on arming settlers.. Will Ben Gvir add fuel to the fire? pic.twitter.com/FQ3xBk5P4x
– Aljazeera.net • Tel Aviv Tribune Net (@AJArabicnet) February 4, 2023
The product of an arms campaign
At the end of last year, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir launched a campaign to arm Israelis, including settlers in the West Bank, with the aim of providing protection from Palestinian attacks.
According to previous media reports, 250,000 Israelis applied for licenses to carry weapons after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, according to figures from the so-called “National Security Committee,” while demand for training centers on the use of weapons increased, and thousands of Israelis obtained weapons for the first time.
In his comment on the incident, as a result of which 4 Jerusalemites were referred to hospitals and in return the assailants were released, the director of the Jerusalem Center for Economic and Social Rights, Ziad Al-Hammouri, said that arming the settlers in an insane manner, and letting them use their hands to press their weapons recklessly, is one of the tools to resolve the demographics in Jerusalem in favor of the Jews.
Al-Hamouri explains, “We can now say that demographics in the city are to be resolved by force of arms, because the militias formed by Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and operating with all brutality in the West Bank are feared to have now begun to be active in Jerusalem, and this randomness in arming and facilitating killing will be added to other factors aiming to empty the city.” From the Palestinians.”
Al-Hamouri pointed out that the green light and protection for the policeman, soldier, and settler is provided by the extremist Minister Ben Gvir, who went further when he announced the granting of rewards to police officers after they killed Palestinians.
Israeli soldiers in civilian clothes opened fire on Jerusalemite merchant Bassam Barakat and his son Sinan, in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, where Bassam, his son, and two others were moderately injured.
The occupation forces released the merchant Bassam after detaining him for a full day while he was injured, under the condition of house arrest and other restrictive conditions, according to a statement… pic.twitter.com/J8I88NMFTu
– Tel Aviv Tribune Net | Jerusalem (@Aljazeeraquds) June 13, 2024
Additional burden
The recent shooting incident by settlers in the Old City weighed heavily on merchants, and made the economic situation of the markets even darker in the days when merchants were waiting for a slight recovery before Eid al-Adha.
Regarding this part, Al-Hammouri says, “The situation inside ancient Jerusalem is dangerous and sensitive, and this incident will affect the purchasing movement now and in the future, especially since many Jerusalemites have been avoiding accessing the markets located inside the historic Jerusalem Wall since October 7 (the start of the aggression against Gaza) for fear of attacks and abuse.” .
Al-Hamouri concluded his speech to Al-Jazeera Net by saying that drying up the markets of Jerusalem and instilling terror in the hearts of its people has become an Israeli policy followed for years before the holidays and religious events, especially in the month of Ramadan, with the aim of exhausting merchants and pushing them to voluntarily migrate from the markets of the Old City in particular, which includes 1,372 shops.