[Jerusalem 15th Archyde.com]— Now, during Ramadan (fasting month) in Islam, Israeli police and Palestinians are clashing in Jerusalem. One year following the clash in Jerusalem developed into a war in the Gaza Strip, there was growing concern over the intensifying conflict between the two.
On the 15th, Israeli police rushed into the Islamic sanctuary “Al-Aqsa Mosque” in the old city of Jerusalem. A group of Palestinians said it was to disperse them as they began throwing firecrackers and stones at the nearby “Wailing Wall” of Jewish prayers and police. At least 152 Palestinians were injured.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is located on the hill of East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Middle East War and later annexed. The area, which the Jews call the “Temple Hill,” is the most tense place in several generations of conflict.
“The clashes in Jerusalem may be the most likely problem to cause widespread riots, and we’ve done that in the past,” said Karil Sikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Polls.
Tensions have already risen over the past two weeks as Palestinians attacked Israelis and killed them, as well as Israeli troops killing Palestinians on the west bank of the Jordan River. This month, Ramadan, the Jewish festival “Passover”, and the Christian Easter are overlapping, making it even more tense.
Palestinian Prime Minister Steyer accused Israeli police of acting at the Al-Aqsa Mosque as “launching a brutal attack on worshipers in the Holy Moon,” pointing out that it was a dangerous sign.
A spokesman for Hamas, an Islamic organization that effectively controls Palestinian territory Gaza, said Israel’s mobilization of police would not be rewarded. He said, “Weapons are weapons. Weapons are power. We will do our best to protect Jerusalem.”
Palestinian troops fired rockets at Israel last May following Hamas demanded the withdrawal of Israeli police from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Sheikhjara district. In the Sheikhjara district of East Jerusalem, courts flickered the possibility of taking land from Palestinian residents, leading to protests and clashes.
The next 11 days of war killed 250 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and 13 in Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Bennett said in a statement that authorities are working to restore peace throughout Jerusalem and Israel, but “we are prepared for every scenario and security forces are ready for any mission.” I put it out.
Last week, Palestinians in a refugee camp shot and killed three Israelis in the West Bank city of Jenin, injuring several at a bar in Tel Aviv. Palestinians have recently fired one following another in Israeli cities, killing 14 people, the highest number of attacks since 2016. Prime Minister Bennett said a “new wave of terrorism” had occurred.
Israeli troops have killed 40 Palestinians this year.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused it of “ugly executions on the battlefield.”
While Israel has taken security measures, such as repairing the separation barrier between the West Bank and Israel and conducting major arrests, it has relatively eased the entry of Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip into Jerusalem.
Israeli Foreign Minister Rapid said on the 14th, “There are no restrictions on the use of force.” However, he added that he admits that Palestinians celebrate “quietly” without causing confusion.
These mitigations seemed to have eased some Palestinian dissatisfaction until the 15th, when the Al-Aqsa Mosque clashed, according to pollster Shikaki.
However, the accumulated anger and resentment of Israel’s 55-year military occupation of the land occupied by the 1967 war outweighs the concessions, Shikaki said.
According to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, the number of Palestinian dwellings demolished on the west bank and East Jerusalem reached its highest since 2016 last year.
Over the past five years, 60% of Israeli-controlled West Banks have been granted only 33 building permits to Palestinians, but more than 16,500 Jewish settlers. This is revealed by human rights consultant Itai Epstein, citing data from the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
“The overall structure of the occupation is violence,” said Diana Buttu, a former legal adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). She said, “Violence has been on a daily basis for decades, and it has only finally reached the stage of rebounding to Israel.”
(Reporters by Henriette Chacar, Ali Sawafta, Nidal al-Mughrabi)