Israeli authorities yesterday shut down a Palestinian institution in Jerusalem, claiming it was linked to the Palestinian National Authority, a move Palestinian organisations described as “aggressive”.
The Palestinian Governorate of Jerusalem announced that Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, ordered the closure of the Jerusalem Fund and Endowment office in occupied Jerusalem.
The governorate said it considers “this aggressive step [to be] part of the Israeli occupation’s systematic policy to undermine the Palestinian presence in the occupied capital.”
According to its website, the Jerusalem Fund and Endowment was established in 2014 as an independent, non-profit institution. It was initiated by a group of citizens “to empower and strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, and to work towards development across various sectors, preserving national identity and Palestinian steadfastness in the holy city.”
The governorate rejected the Israeli allegations used to justify the closure, stating that claims that the organisation operates for the benefit of the Palestinian National Authority are “false and completely baseless”.
It added that the activities of the Jerusalem Fund and Endowment are “limited to social, humanitarian, and charitable work only, and have no connection to any political activities.”
The governorate further stressed that the endowment “aims to support the steadfastness of our people in Jerusalem and to enable them to live in dignity in the face of the occupation’s daily practices of restrictions and continuous violations.”
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