Launching of The Events
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas officially launched the celebration of Jerusalem as the Capital of Arab Culture for 2009 at a ceremony in Bethlehem. Simultaneous ceremonies were supposed to take place in Jerusalem, Gaza, Nazareth, and Mar Elias Refugee Camp in Lebanon. These synchronized celebrations in five locations reflect the desire of building a cultural bridge between Palestinian people in Palestine and Palestinians in the diaspora. Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter instructed police to suppress PNA-sponsored events calling Jerusalem the 'capital of Arab culture' because they constituted a violation of the interim agreement, which includes a clause stating that the PA is prohibited from organizing events in Israeli territory.
On Dichter's orders, police shuttered eight planned events and detained twenty organizers and participants for questioning. The blocked events included a soccer match scheduled at a school on Nablus Road, a conference for young women at the Al-Hiya'la Center, and marches in the Wadi al-Joz and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhoods. In addition, a group of Arab students was blocked from rallying at the Temple Mount with PLO flags. A similar ceremony was blocked on the Haroun al-Rashid road. Events in Ras al-Amud and al-Tur were also shut down.
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