JERUSALEM, June 18, 2025 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation forces installed a new iron gate on Wednesday at the main entrance to the town of Anata, northeast of Jerusalem.
According to the WAFA correspondent, the gate was installed at the town’s main entrance, effectively closing the checkpoint in both directions, as part of a policy aimed at restricting the movement and freedom of Palestinian residents.
This new gate adds to another that was erected years ago at the southern entrance to the town.
The Jerusalem Governorate expressed in a statement deep concern over the escalating Israeli measures on the ground, which it says are designed to suffocate the city of Jerusalem and isolate it completely from its Palestinian surroundings. These actions include the installation of new iron gates, the intensification of military checkpoints, and the acceleration of colonial expansion and annexation plans.
The Jerusalem governorate explained that these developments come in tandem with Israel’s exploitation of the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip and the escalation with Iran. During this period, the Israeli government is seeking to push forward its annexation plans, expand the boundaries of the Jerusalem municipality, increase the number of colonists, and construct new colonial settlements in the area, all while the world remains distracted from what is happening in the occupied city.
Jerusalem is now surrounded by 85 barriers, including earth mounds, fixed and mobile iron gates, and the expansive separation wall, effectively turning the city into a closed prison where apartheid is forcibly enforced.
The statement affirmed that these measures are part of a comprehensive plan for full control over the city, including its Islamic and Christian holy sites, as part of an undeclared annexation project being implemented while the international community remains preoccupied with other matters, diverting attention away from the Palestinian capital.
The statement emphasized that the international community’s silence effectively grants the occupation the green light to advance its colonial and Judaization schemes. It stressed that media and popular solidarity with Jerusalem is urgently needed to confront these existential dangers.
T.R.
