JERUSALEM, Thursday, May 16, 2019 (WAFA) – Israeli forces sealed off the main entrance to the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiyeh and assaulted Palestinian residents.

WAFA correspondent reported that the police closed off the entrance to the neighborhood, obstructing the exit and entry of vehicles.

Police inspected Palestinian cars and checked passengers’ identification cards, which led to a traffic congestion in the area.

On Wednesday, police carried out a wide-scale raid and inspection operation in the neighborhood, detaining ten people and delivering demolition notices against 20 houses and structures purportedly built without a permit.

For the residents of Issawiyeh, a Palestinian village of some 20,000, and other parts of occupied East Jerusalem, military raids and building demolitions are a daily reality.

The village is plagued by poor infrastructure, residents are constantly harassed by the Israeli Border Police and anyone, including children, run the risk of arbitrary arrest.

Israeli severely restricts Palestinians’ freedom of movement through a complex combination of approximately 100 fixed checkpoints, flying checkpoints, settler-only roads and various other physical obstructions.

K.T./ K.F.