DaysofPal- The Old City of Jerusalem is witnessing a continued escalation in Israeli measures following the installation of a new iron gate between the Cotton Merchants’ Market and Bab al-Hadid, one of the main passageways leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestinians in Jerusalem are deeply alarmed by the action, which they see as a component of a larger strategy to tighten restrictions on movement within the Old City.
The gate was installed by Israeli occupation forces with the help of municipal workers in actions that go beyond security considerations and are a part of a larger initiative to change Jerusalem’s geographic and demographic reality.
A Multilayered System of Control
Jerusalem affairs expert Jamal Amro said the system of gates imposed by Israeli occupation forces across Palestine has expanded significantly and now operates on multiple levels, with each gate carrying a specific security classification and function within a broader system designed to regulate and restrict Palestinian movement.
In an interview with the Palestinian Information Center, Amro clarified that these gates are typically closed to Palestinians but open to Israelis and settlers, reflecting the nature of the security measures put in place on the ground.
He noted that the policy of gates is no longer limited to city entrances or major checkpoints but has spread within cities themselves, separating neighborhoods and extending to the gates surrounding the separation wall and the entrances to Jerusalem’s Old City.
Although the Old City covers less than one square kilometer, Amro said it is now filled with gates and military towers, particularly around the Damascus Gate area, in attempts to isolate it from its Palestinian surroundings.
Amro highlighted that in an effort to strengthen security control over the region, Israeli occupation forces recently erected more iron gates between Bab al-Hadid and the Cotton Merchants’ Market.
He explained that the measure aims to regulate who is permitted to enter the market and to control access to the area overlooking the western wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque, where settlers and religious Jewish worshippers perform Talmudic rituals near the section facing Bab al-Hadid.
He added that the measures are intended to provide what Israeli authorities describe as a “security margin” for settlers present in the area, leading to intensified security procedures at Bab al-Hadid and inside the Cotton Merchants’ Market through military checkpoints and heavy surveillance.
Amro stressed that the Cotton Merchants’ Market is among the most sensitive and strategically significant sites in the Old City because of its direct view of the Dome of the Rock. He said the latest developments carry clear security and sovereignty implications aimed at consolidating greater Israeli control over the surroundings of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Gate Seen as Tool for Restricting Palestinians
Jerusalem activist Nasser Qous said the new gate represents a direct tool for controlling Palestinian movement inside the Old City. He explained that it grants Israeli occupation forces and settlers the ability to shut down the vital passageway at any moment, imposing restrictions on residents, worshippers, and merchants.
Qous added that the danger of the measure extends beyond security concerns to daily life, as it isolates homes and major pathways and forces residents to use longer and more complicated routes to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque or move within the Old City.
The passage connecting the Cotton Merchants’ Market and Bab al-Hadid is considered one of the most important historic routes leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque and experiences heavy daily movement from worshippers, traders, and local residents.
Military Barriers and Settlement Expansion
Palestinian estimates indicate that the new gate is part of a wider network of barriers and military checkpoints spreading throughout the Old City alongside the expansion of settlement outposts near Palestinian neighborhoods, particularly around Hosh Dodu and pathways leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Residents say these measures are intended to tighten control over Palestinian movement inside the Old City and transform historic neighborhoods and markets into areas subject to constant surveillance and closures.
Memories of the 2017 Electronic Gates Uprising
The latest Israeli move has also revived memories of the 2017 protests known as the “Electronic Gates Uprising,” when Palestinians mobilized against Israeli attempts to install electronic gates at the entrances of Al-Aqsa Mosque to control worshippers’ access. Israel later removed the gates following widespread public protests.
Palestinians in Jerusalem say that the current measures go beyond electronic gates and instead involve the imposition of physical barriers and checkpoints inside neighborhoods and markets, effectively redrawing the internal geography of the Old City and restricting residents’ movement.
Policies Aimed at Altering Jerusalem’s Demographics
Settlement affairs researcher Khalil Tafakji said Israeli policies in Jerusalem, including checkpoints, security restrictions, and settlement expansion, are aimed at reshaping the city’s demographic reality and gradually pushing Palestinians out of the Old City toward northern Jerusalem.
Tafakji stated that the conflict in Jerusalem has become primarily demographic in nature, with ongoing Israeli efforts to increase the Jewish presence in the city at the expense of the Palestinian population under plans that have expanded significantly since 2017 under the slogan “Saving Jerusalem.”
He added that these policies include projects designed to integrate western and eastern Jerusalem through roads, infrastructure, and settlement expansion, further isolating Palestinian neighborhoods and undermining the possibility of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state.
Tafakji also suggested that Israel may move toward applying a model similar to the one implemented in Hebron to Jerusalem, taking advantage of the current political and security climate, especially following Israeli occupation forces’ decisions to expand the powers of the Civil Administration inside Hebron’s Old City.
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