Israel closes offices of major Palestinian fund in occupied East Jerusalem

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has ordered the closure of the offices of the Jerusalem Fund and Endowment in occupied East Jerusalem.

"This aggressive step is part of the (Israeli) occupation's systematic policy to undermine the Palestinian presence in occupied Jerusalem," the Jerusalem governor's office said in a statement on Tuesday.

It dismissed Israeli claims that the fund was serving the interests of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority as "groundless."

"The fund is only conducting social, humanitarian, and charitable work, and has no connection to any political activity," it stressed.

"This move is part of the open war waged by the occupation against Jerusalem's institutions, which form a vital line of defense in the battle for survival and steadfastness in Jerusalem," the statement said.

It called on the international community "to take immediate and serious action to halt these violations and protect Jerusalem's institutions and its people from the occupation's encroachment and racist measures."

The Jerusalem Fund and Endowment was established in 2014 as a non-profitable independent institution, upon an initiative of Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem to serve Palestinians and enhance their steadfastness in the occupied city.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.