In a letter written to the Jerusalem Police commander, the Ir Amim organization complained that street closures within East Jerusalem during Yom Kippur cause unnecessary hardships for the Arab residents of the city.
On the Yom Kippur holiday in Israel, roads close down and there is no traffic allowed on city streets.
Police claimed, however, that barricades to block traffic are placed only on the border between the eastern and western parts of the city, and not within East Jerusalem itself.
The organization claimed that barricades are placed on major arteries in east Jerusalem neighborhoods and brings traffic to a complete stop.
The letter, which was addressed to the commander of the Jerusalem police Maj. General Ilan Franco, says that the closures in east Jerusalem make life very difficult including not being able to get to work, school, hospitals, mosques, and other places.
This is particularly important because the M
uslim Ramadan holiday is currently in progress and will be during Yom Kippur as well.
A Jerusalem police response read that "this procedure has been going on for many years and is designed to limit the friction between the Jewish and Arab populations during the holiday."
The police also claimed that all roads between neighborhoods in east Jerusalem would remain open.
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