Israel closes nonprofit Jerusalem Fund and Endowment serving local Palestinians

Israel’s far-right extremist national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered for the closure of the office for occupied East Jerusalem’s Fund and Endowment nonprofit, a move which has been decried by many as an attempt to undermine and erase Palestinians.

The Jerusalem Fund and Endowment was established in 2014 and serves Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem. The office shuttered on Monday, various reports stated, triggering a wave of condemnation and calls for the international community to act.

In a statement, the Jerusalem governorate stressed that any allegations used to justify the closure of the office were baseless, reiterating that the non-profit had no political affiliations and was simply benefitting local people.

The statement further confirmed that the organisation’s work is "limited within the framework of social, humanitarian and charitable work, and has nothing to do with any political activity".

"It aims to support Jerusalemite people and enables them to live in dignity in the face of the occupation’s [Israel] continued restrictions and violations," the statement continued.

The Jerusalem governor’s office said: "Such blatant attacks would not have continued without the international silence on all the serious violations committed by Israel, the occupying power which violates all international norms and conventions which guarantee civil and humanitarian freedoms".

The office went on to call the international community and organisations to take immediate action to stop the violations, and to protect institutions in Jerusalem from being affected by racist measures.

In a follow-up statement, the Palestinian National Council condemned the move to close the office and warned of the dangers of such decisions, saying it contributes to the "ongoing policy of the Judaisation and ethnic cleansing of the Holy City and its steadfast people".

"These racist practices come amid a fierce attack on our people – from the systematic genocide in the Gaza Strip to attempt to crush the identity of Jerusalem".

The council further stressed that the targeting of national institutions and holy sites serves as a prelude to what it described as a "dangerous attempt to displace the remaining Palestinian people and impose occupation by force".

It further called on the international community to stop its "double standards" and take immediate action to address the issue.

The Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs said that the decision to shutter the nonprofit adds to the many restrictions local Palestinians in Jerusalem face and will eventually force them to leave the area.

"This is another crime from the occupation, in addition to genocide, displacement, famine, and annexation against the Palestinian people and their homeland".

The latest developments come just a month after Palestinian religious leaders issued an urgent warning regarding intensified Israeli restrictions at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron (known as al-Khalil in Arabic), describing them as an attempt to seize Islamic holy sites.

The most recent violations include locking internal doors inside the Ibrahimi Mosque, banning religious rituals on key occasions such as Fridays, Eid, and the last ten nights of Ramadan, and sealing off Waqf-administered sections of the site.

One of the most provocative steps, according to Palestinian officials, was the 15-day ban imposed on Sheikh Moataz Abu Sneineh, the mosque’s director.