![Palestinians pass by closed shops in Jerusalem on 27 April 2017 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/20170427_2_23335538_21477042.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Palestinians store owners in Jerusalem are being forced to close their businesses as they cannot pay high Israeli taxes, according to Wafa news agency.
Tax collectors yesterday raided shops in Al-Wad Street and the Bab Khan Al-Zeit area in the Old City of Jerusalem with the help of Israeli forces, pressuring traders to pay the taxes due. When it was clear the shopkeepers were unable to afford the rates, their shops were closed down.
Read: Israel demolishes Palestinian homes in Jerusalem
According to Ziad Al-Hammouri, the director of the Jerusalem Centre for Social and Economic Rights, at least 25 per cent of the 1,000 Palestinian shops in the city have closed in recent years due to high municipal taxes.
Tensions have been high in Jerusalem since protests surrounding restricted access to Al-Aqsa Mosque last month. During this time, merchants who opened their shops in the Old City were fined up to $1,400 and beaten by occupying forces until they closed their stores.
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