Fierce clashes have broken out between Palestinians and Israeli police in the flashpoint neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in the occupied East al-Quds, after a far-right Israeli lawmaker opened an office in the area.
Faraan: A video surfaced on social media on Sunday, showing Israeli settlers, under the protection of the regime’s forces, throwing chairs at Palestinians after Itamar Ben Gvir set up his office on Palestinian-owned land in the restive neighborhood, Palestine’s official Wafa news agency reported.
Israeli forces used water cannons and said they arrested 12 people for “public riots and violence” in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood that has emerged as a symbol of Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation of al-Quds.
At least 31 Palestinians, including a child, were injured in clashes with Israeli forces in Sheikh Jarrah on Sunday evening, according to the Red Crescent Society in al-Quds. Six people were taken to hospital. Palestinians took to the streets in other cities of the occupied West Bank in solidarity. In Ramallah, angry protesters chanted slogans against the Israeli regime and settlers and called for support for the residents of Sheikh Jarrah.
Ben Gvir’s provocative move came despite mounting tensions over the forced eviction of Palestinian residents there. He told reporters in Sheikh Jarrah on Sunday that he would remain there until police looked after what he called the security of the settlers. Last night, scores of Israeli settlers stormed Sheikh Jarrah, where they attacked and terrified Palestinian families and attempted to evict some of them from their homes.
According to witnesses, Israeli settlers, backed by the regime’s forces, pelted stones at homes during the overnight attack and vandalized a number of Palestinian-owned vehicles. The settlers also attacked a Palestinian family’s house in the neighborhood and tried to forcibly evict them from their home, hours after they received an eviction order.
Dozens of settlers set up a tent on the Salem family land, who are facing imminent expulsion, and clashed with residents, injuring 73-year-old owner Fatima Salem. Khalil Salem, a member of the family, told Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television network that his mother’s hand was broken during the settlers’ raid on their home.
