Jerusalem: Israeli police forces on Wednesday prevented a Jerusalemite youth from practicing the Ramadan tradition of the musaharati in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz, despite his annual commitment to reviving the authentic Ramadan custom.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the Jerusalem Governorate stated that the occupation authorities' decision to bar Areen Al-Za'anin from carrying out his work as a musaharati is part of ongoing restrictions imposed on religious and social life in the city. The musaharati is a traditional Ramadan figure who walks through neighborhoods late at night, beating a drum and calling out to residents to wake them for suhoor, the pre-dawn meal before sunrise.
In a related development, Israeli authorities released Mohammad Mousa Odeh on condition that he be banned from Al-Aqsa Mosque for six months and from the Old City for three months. A court hearing is scheduled for him tomorrow, following his detention earlier today from inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli authorities continue to impose restrictive measures on Jerusalemites, including bans from Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City, in an attempt to limit Palestinian presence there, particularly with the onset of the holy month of Ramadan.