Israeli forces shut down Palestinian conference in Jerusalem
by alethoMa'an - 27/03/2014
JERUSALEM - Israeli forces on Wednesday
prevented Palestinian human rights organizations in Jerusalem from
holding a conference in opposition to Arab enlistment in the Israeli
military, organizers said.
Israeli
special forces and police reportedly stormed the headquarters of the
Yabous Cultural Center immediately prior to the beginning of the
conference and shut down the building until the evening.
Organizers
said that the police hung a notice signed by the chief of police
banning the proceedings from moving forward because the conference was
organized by activists associated with the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, which Israeli authorities consider a terrorist
organization.
Jerusalem
Legal Aid and Human Rights Center director Rami Saleh denied the
allegations, noting that the conference was organized by JLAC, St. Yves,
Kanaan Project, and in cooperation with the Baladna organization's
Haifa branch.
Saleh
said the conference aims to raise awareness in the Arab community of
Jerusalem about "civil service," a form of service in the Israeli army
that the Israeli state has increasingly enjoined Arab youth to enlist
in.
The
conference was intended to encourage opposition to "civil service" and
all kinds of military service in the Israeli army, which is not
mandatory for Muslim and Christian Palestinians in Israel, unlike for
Druze and Jewish Israelis.
Dozens of Jerusalem youths aged 18-21 had joined the program, Saleh said.
Yabous institute director Rania Elias condemned the closure of the institute from 2-8 p.m, adding that the institute will continue to provide service and organize events for Palestinian organizations.
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