Thanks to ACRI, Garbage Collection has Resumed in an East Jerusalem Neighborhood

A pile of garbage in Kafr Aqab, May 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of the residents.

On May 28, 2025, ACRI contacted the Jerusalem Municipality, the police, and the Border Police, following complaints from residents of Kafr Aqab that there has been no garbage collection in their neighborhood. The discontinuance of the garbage collection came after two weeks of partial and insufficient collection, the result of a sudden prohibition on garbage truck drivers from entering and exiting the neighborhood through the Qalandiya checkpoint, forcing them to use a significantly longer detour. Within a few hours after the garbage collection stopped, mountains of trash had accumulated in the neighborhood’s streets. 

In the letter, Yotam Rotfeld from the legal department wrote that stopping the collection of garbage from the neighborhood goes against the municipality's legal obligations to maintain public health, and violates the residents' fundamental rights to health, dignity, and equality. Moreover, as stated in the letter: "Major disruptions in garbage collection, and its complete cessation, would not have lasted more than a few minutes in Jerusalem neighborhoods that are not beyond the separation fence, and in any other city in Israel.” 

The day after our letter was sent, we received a response from the municipality, stating that the problems in garbage collection stem from a security issue, and that the issue is being resolved. Shortly thereafter, garbage collection in the neighborhood returned to normal. 

ACRI’s letter, May 28, 2025 (Heb) 

Response from the municipality, May 29, 2025 (Heb) 

We have not forgotten: 🛑 Stop the killing and starvation in Gaza 🛑 Stop the abandonment of the hostages 🛑 End the war. Now.