Israeli Government Takes ‘Caution’ in Jerusalem

Palestinians pray on the first day of Eid al-Adha, in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in the Old City, East Jerusalem, July 20, 2021. (Reuters)
Palestinians pray on the first day of Eid al-Adha, in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in the Old City, East Jerusalem, July 20, 2021. (Reuters)
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Israeli Government Takes ‘Caution’ in Jerusalem

Palestinians pray on the first day of Eid al-Adha, in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in the Old City, East Jerusalem, July 20, 2021. (Reuters)
Palestinians pray on the first day of Eid al-Adha, in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, in the Old City, East Jerusalem, July 20, 2021. (Reuters)

The new Israeli government is trying to maintain calm in Jerusalem and other occupied territories through several measures aimed at appeasing settlers and averting tensions.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the government requested a postponement of the Supreme Court’s decision to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar village, east of Jerusalem in the West Bank.

The network indicated that Foreign Minister Yair Lapid sent a request on Sunday to Cabinet Secretary Shalom Shlomo and Attorney General Avichai Mandeblit asking for a further delay of the demolition of the village located in Area C.

Lapid noted that the demolition is a particularly “sensitive issue,” the government is requesting more time to examine the necessary conditions for the evacuation of the outpost and conduct a significant and in-depth inquiry of all the legal and international consequences of the move.

The government also decided to issue about 150,000 entry permits to Palestinians of the ‘48 in the West Bank throughout the Eid al-Adha holiday that begins Tuesday and ends on Friday.

The right-wing Channel 20 estimates the Israeli authorities will grant 20,000 permits for prayer in al-Aqsa Mosque during Eid, citing an official in the Israeli security services.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett recanted earlier statements in which he said Israel would preserve freedom of worship for Jews on the Temple Mount.

Haaretz reported that the statement deviated from Israel’s status quo, in which Jews are banned from prayer on the site.

“There is no change in the status quo,” a Monday morning statement from Bennett’s bureau read, noting that the intention behind the message was that the right of Jews to visit, rather than to pray at, the Temple Mount would be preserved.

The newspaper said that the status quo in Jerusalem was according to an Ottoman-era arrangement when it was agreed between all religious leaders under the authority of the ruling Ottoman Empire to maintain an image that preserves the rights of religions and sects and protects historical and religious monuments.



Heavy Rains Flood Khartoum Streets, Exposing Decomposed Bodies

A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Heavy Rains Flood Khartoum Streets, Exposing Decomposed Bodies

A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Torrential rains battered several parts of Sudan’s Khartoum state this week, flooding residential neighborhoods and streets, disrupting movement, and sweeping away war debris, including decomposed corpses believed to belong to paramilitary fighters.

The rainfall began as sanitation workers were carrying out maintenance on stormwater drains. But before completing their task, the downpour caught them off guard, forcing them to begin draining the water with basic tools already in use.

Local authorities said residents in the East Nile district reported seeing decomposed bodies swept into drainage canals. Officials suspect the corpses may be those of fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which controlled swathes of the capital during its year-long war with the Sudanese army.

The RSF had held large parts of Khartoum since conflict erupted on April 15, 2023. But by March this year, the army claimed to have regained full control of the city. Since then, thousands of displaced families have returned home, according to state authorities, with more returning each day.

This year’s rainy season arrives amid the devastation of war, which has crippled already fragile infrastructure, particularly flood drainage systems. Even before the conflict, seasonal rains often caused widespread destruction in Khartoum, damaging homes and public facilities and resulting in casualties.

Despite extensive water pooling in open areas, Sudan’s Civil Defense Authority reported no fatalities or property losses. “Water was drained naturally, without any intervention from Civil Defense teams,” said Major General Qureshi, deputy director of emergency operations, in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Qureshi added that his teams remain on high alert, as a precaution, although Nile water levels remain stable.

Residents attempted to clear water from their homes by removing weeds and waste blocking drainage channels.

“During the RSF's control of the city, we tried to dig small trenches to divert the rainwater toward the main drains,” said resident Mohamed Elias. “But the blocked drains caused water to stagnate for months, leading to insect infestations and disease.”

Although thousands have returned to Khartoum, the national government has not fully re-established itself in the capital, which it fled in favor of Port Sudan, a Red Sea city now serving as a temporary seat of power. Khartoum’s governor, Ahmed Othman, previously told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government’s return to the capital would be gradual.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said over one million displaced Sudanese have returned to their areas of origin across the country, including in Khartoum.