Restrictions on Old City Jews During Ramadan
By Hillel Fendel Arutz 7 Monday, 25 September, 2006

With the onset of Ramadan (Moslem holy month) celebrations, the police have
instructed Jews living on a main Old City thoroughfare not to traverse it
between 8 and 10 PM in the coming weeks.

The Jews living in the Moslem Quarter of the Old City - 800 in number - were
informed by the Jerusalem Police that they must not leave their homes
without prior coordination during the evening hours. This, because of the
expected large number of Moslem celebrants - including many hostile ones -
returning from the Temple Mount at that time each night.

Ramadan, for devout Muslims, is a month of fasting by day and feasting at
night.

The orders originally applied to all the Jewish families in the area, but
were later reduced, following a request to the police, to include only HaGai
St. Some 30 Jewish families, as well as the students of a yeshiva and a
pre-military academy, live on HaGai St.

Reactions among the Jewish public were mixed. One man said, "It is not
acceptable to us that the police simply decides that it cannot protect us
and enforce the law and that therefore we must be restricted."

"Is it conceivable in the U.S. that the police would inform the Greek
community not to leave their homes because the Italians are having a
celebration?" asked another.

On the other hand, local security head Yuval Alpert told Arutz-7, "We work
together with the police and trust them." Asked why the police don't simply
station more forces in the area, he said, "You apparently don't realize the
numbers of Arabs that are going to pass on this street - very many... In any
event, we will still be able to reach our homes via back ways and the like."

The Jerusalem Police Department informed Arutz-7's Shimon Cohen that the
roads will simply be divided in a way that will enable separate ambulatory
traffic routes for Jews and Arabs. Asked if there will be roads that are
open only to Jews, the police spokesman said no.