More violence in Jerusalem as protests grow over eviction plans
FURTHER unrest occurred in Jerusalem last night after Friday’s violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police at the al-Aqsa mosque compound triggered international condemnation.
Friday’s unrest followed Muslim prayers, with Israeli riot police firing rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinians who hurled rocks, bottles and fireworks at Islam’s thirdholiest site, also revered by Jews.
Last night, further clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli police in East Jerusalem as Muslim worshippers gathered for prayers on “Laylat alQadr” – the holiest night of Ramadan. The Palestinian Red Crescent said some 50 Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets and stun grenades, while Israeli police said they had made three arrests.
The tensions at al-Aqsa are partly being fuelled by Israeli proposals to evict dozens of Palestinians from the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah to make way for settlers.
Britain joined the US yesterday to condemn Israel, raising concerns about the threatened eviction.
James Cleverly, Britain’s Middle East minister, said: “I urge Israel to cease such evictions and work with local communities to prevent further violence and restore calm.”
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – which has recently signed a peace accord with Israel – also criticised Israeli plans to evict Palestinians from their homes.
Israel denied it was forcibly displacing Palestinians from the area, and in a tweet on Friday sought to play down the issue, calling it a “real-estate dispute”.
Further protests were planned last night, with many fearing that the unrest could last for days.
Tomorrow an Israeli court is due to issue a verdict on the long-running legal dispute over the Sheikh Jarrah evictions. The court date happens to coincide with Jerusalem Day, a national holiday where Israelis celebrate the annexation of East Jerusalem
It was not immediately clear what triggered the violence on Friday night.
Video footage showed some worshippers throwing bottles, chairs and shoes at Israeli police, who deployed stun grenades and fired rubber bullets.
According to the Red Crescent, the Palestinian emergency services, more than 80 wounded Palestinians were taken to hospital suffering face and eye injuries.
The Israeli police force said that 17 of their officers had been wounded and that half of them had required hospital treatment for their injuries.
In a statement, Israeli police said they used “riot dispersal means following violent disturbances on the Temple Mount, during which hundreds of suspects began throwing stone, bottles and objects at police officers”.
The clashes died down shortly after midnight, but both sides were braced for more potential violence before the weekend was over.
Earlier on Friday, Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinians and injured a third after they opened fire on an Israeli border force base in the West Bank.