EVENT OF TODAY News

In a hostile Jerusalem neighborhood, Palestinians and Jewish settlers fight

Princess Tarfa

Officials claimed on Tuesday that Palestinians and Jewish settlers threw stones, chairs, and fireworks at each other overnight in a hostile Jerusalem neighborhood where settler parties are attempting to evacuate several Palestinian families.

The approaching removals sparked demonstrations and riots in the run-up to last month's 11-day Gaza war, and also presented a test for Israel's new ruling party, which includes three pro-settler organizations but hopes to keep the Palestinian problem off the agenda to minimize internal strife.

According to Israeli police and border authorities, four individuals were apprehended in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

The origin of the brawl was unknown. According to authorities, one woman was seriously injured when a stone struck her in the back.

The Red Crescent claimed its staff treated 20 Palestinians, comprising of 16 who have been injured by pepper spray and tear gas and others who were shot with rubber-coated bullets. According to the report, two other people have been injured, including an elderly gentleman who was struck in the head.

According to the Red Crescent, settlers hurled stones at one of its ambulances, while Israeli soldiers sprayed skunk water on a second ambulance.

The outbreak of violence is the latest squabble in Sheikh Jarrah, where weeks of turmoil drew worldwide attention before last month's 11-day Israel-Hamas war. The cease-fire comes into action on May 21, but Jewish settlers' long-running effort to displace hundreds of Palestinian families continues.

And therefore the cycle of tension continues, in a harsh early test for Israel's new coalition government, which has only been in power for a little more than a week.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing Yamina party, is in charge under a rotating arrangement. In two years, he will be succeeded by Yair Lapid, the head of the moderate Yesh Atid party. And heading the opposing party is Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who was removed from the prime ministership after 12 years in office.

The most imminent evictions have now been stopped due to an intervention by Israel's attorney general during the height of the conflict. However, rights organizations believe that removals will continue in the coming months as public attention fades, potentially triggering another round of violence.

The Israelis have been conducting a decades-long drive to displace Palestinian families from heavily populated Palestinian communities in the Holy Basin, just beyond the walls of the Old City and in one of the most sensitive areas of east Jerusalem.

In the 1967 war, Israel conquered East Jerusalem, which encompasses holy sites for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and claimed it in a move that was not internationally recognized. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state, whereas Israel considers the entire city itself to be the capital.

According to the settlers, the residences are built on property held by Jews before the 1948 conflict that resulted in the establishment of Israel. Israeli legislation permits Jews to regain this property, whereas Palestinians who lost lands and houses in the same fight have been denied the rights for the same.

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