Court orders Jerusalemite to pay huge sums to Rabbi Yehuda Glick

An Israeli court has ordered the young Jerusalemite Areej al-Za'anin to pay 400,000 shekels (about $133,000) in compensation to the extremist rabbi Yehuda Glick, without al-Za'anin's knowledge or presence at the hearings. The case stems from Glick's intrusion into the mourning tent for the martyr Iyad al-Hallaq in 2020 and his expulsion by the residents. Al-Za'anin, a freed prisoner, says he does not have the money and faces Israeli pressure.

Without his knowledge or presence at his trial hearings, the young Jerusalemite Areej al-Za'anin found himself obligated to pay huge sums of money to an Israeli rabbi. In 2020, the extremist rabbi Yehuda Glick, known for his incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, stormed the mourning tent for the martyr Iyad al-Hallaq in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood of Jerusalem, where al-Za'anin hails from. At the time, residents and locals protested the intrusion and he was expelled from the mourning house. Al-Za'anin (30 years old), a freed prisoner, says he was not present then and does not know the truth of what happened: "I was arrested and released during this period, and I know nothing, and no charge was brought against me in this regard during my detention." He adds in his interview with Al Jazeera that the court ruling demands he pay 400,000 shekels (about $133,000) as compensation to Yehuda Glick, plus court costs and attorney fees, an amount he says is large and beyond his means. Al-Za'anin, who has been banned from the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the occupation several times, explained that Jerusalemites, like other Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, face daily restrictions and threats due to home demolitions, eviction orders, and forced displacement. He continues that he barely manages his expenses and family needs: "After my arrest, I came out of prison with nothing; no money, no property, no cars, as if I would start building my life anew. I leave it to God to resolve it." Jerusalemites face Israeli measures aimed at pressuring them by all means to displace them, extending beyond home demolitions and heavy fines to restricting them in all aspects of their lives. Recently, the occupation has been targeting activists, influencers, and journalists with military orders and banning them from the mosque to prevent obstacles to safe settler incursions, as happened with the activist and photographer Alaa al-Sous, whom the occupation court sentenced to 9 months of "community service" and a fine, along with a 6-month suspended prison sentence.