Old City Basin

Archaeology

Archaeology, heritage, and tourism continue to be used as tools for taking over spaces, sites, and assets in East Jerusalem, and the trend is growing. The daily lives of Silwan residents, for example, are regularly disrupted by archaeological digs, while homes in the al-Bustan neighborhood are demolished and entire neighborhood face displacement due to the King’s Garden national park project. In February 2026, the government approved 250 million ILS (~88.6 million USD) in funding for the cable car tourism project, which would offer quick cable car rides to the Western Wall above the homes in Silwan. This ambitious project is expected to impinge on local residents’ privacy and to create environmental and aesthetic hazards, without offering residents any real benefit.

Freedom of worship violations and erosion of the status quo

Ramadan, which began on February 19, 2026, saw an unprecedented escalation in Israeli policy toward Muslim worshippers in East Jerusalem. Rather than the anticipated return to normalcy after two years of conflict, the stringent restrictions enforced since October 2023 were tightened even further.

According to police data obtained by Ir Amim, the number of Muslim worshippers at Haram a-Sharif/Temple Mount in 2025 fell to less than half the number of a decade before. The sharp decline can be attributed to the Israeli policy of restricting the range of ages permitted to worship and denying access to West Bank residents, as well as police brutality.

As Muslim worshippers were increasingly excluded, deliberate measures were taken to erode the status quo, a policy whereby Haram a-Shaif is reserved for Muslim worship while members of other religions may visit but not pray. The Israel Police has increasingly permitted Jewish prayer at the site under heavy security, including, this year, allowing worshippers to bring in prayer shawls, at times Muslims were all but barred from entry.

Once the war with Iran began on February 28, 2026, holy sites across the Old City were closed, leaving Muslim worshippers without access to Haram a-Sharif for the remainder of Ramadan. Jews were also denied access (Hebrew) to the Western Wall plaza, and prayer was allowed only in protected spaces inside the Western Wall tunnel and restricted to residents of the Jewish Quarter. Christian holy sites were also closed. On March 29, for the first time in over a century, the Latin Patriarch was denied entry to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the Palm Sunday ceremony, despite prior coordination and plans for the service to proceed with only three attendees. The move sparked international outrage, after which the ceremony was permitted to take place several days later.

Ban on Palestinian entry into the Old City

During the war with Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, the Jerusalem Police imposed a sweeping ban on the entry of Palestinian residents and citizens of Israel into the Old City of Jerusalem unless they resided there. The police also prohibited commercial activity and ordered shops to close, even though no ban had been imposed on commerce in the Old City or in Jerusalem at large. Dozens of business owners were issued hefty fines for opening their shops and trying to earn a living during the war, with the police citing catch-all provisions in the law. Jews, on the other hand, could enter the Old City without restriction, and businesses throughout the rest of the city remained open to the public.

On March 18, 2026, ACRI and Ir Amim contacted the police on behalf of residents of East Jerusalem, asserting that there was no legal basis for the police to deny access to a certain area based on origin, religion, or nationality, nor was there a Home Front Command prohibition on commercial activity in the Old City or Jerusalem in general. No public interest was served by the disruption of Palestinian residents’ daily lives and the violation of their rights, and the wrongful discrimination between Jews and Palestinians was entirely unjustified. Restrictions have abated since the ceasefire was declared, although, according to Ir Amim, they have not been fully removed.

Flag March violence and racism

Jerusalem’s annual Flag March took place on May 14, 2026. This event is funded by the city and received about 0.5 million ILS (~ 175k USD) from the Jerusalem Municipality this year. Thousands of Jewish youths and children marched through the Muslim Quarter in the Old City, chanting racist vitriol and attacking Palestinian residents and business owners. Locals remained in their homes, fearing attacks, and businesses shut down. Churches in the Old City (Hebrew) also sent notices that their doors would remain closed during the march, given past experiences and the prevalence of hate crimes against Christians in the Old City, which have included spitting at clergy.

On the day of the march, the police tightly restricted Muslim prayer, denying access to al-Aqsa to men under the age of 60 and women under 50. In addition, in violation of the status quo, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and dozens of Jewish Temple Movement activists visited the Temple Mount.