Israeli authorities shut Sons of Jerusalem club on Ben-Gvir order
The Jerusalem Governorate says the closure is part of a wider move against Palestinian national, sports and social institutions in the city.
Israeli authorities shut down the Sons of Jerusalem Club in the Sa'diya neighborhood of the Old City on Thursday, under an order from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement.
The governorate said the closure is part of a new move targeting Palestinian national, sports and social institutions in Jerusalem, which it described as a systematic policy of restricting the Palestinian presence in the city.
It described the club as one of the Old City's long-established sports and social institutions, providing a space for young Jerusalemites to take part in sports, social and national activities.
The governorate said targeting the club amounts to an attack on an institution that plays an important role in the local community.
It said the decision comes amid an ongoing Israeli escalation against Palestinian national institutions and activities in Jerusalem, carried out through closures, persecution and restrictions.
The governorate argued these measures aim to weaken Palestinian institutional and community life and reduce the spaces where Jerusalemites can take part in sports, cultural and social activities.
The Old City lies in East Jerusalem, an area Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed, a move the international community does not recognize.
Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, and Palestinian officials have repeatedly objected to Israeli measures affecting Palestinian institutions in the city.