What's happening in Jerusalem?

More than 700 Palestinians have now been injured after Israeli police raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque and split up worshippers elsewhere in occupied East Jerusalem, as weeks-long tensions between Israel and the Palestinians over Jerusalem soared again. Earlier that day, tens of thousands of Palestinian worshippers crowded into the mosque on the last Friday of Ramadan and a lot of them stayed on to protest in support of Palestinians being ousted from their homes on land occupied by Israelis and claimed by Jewish settlers.

At the start of Ramadan in mid-April, Israel cordoned off a popular gathering spot where Palestinians generally socialize at the end of their daily fast. The move departed for a fortnight of clashes before Israel lifted the restrictions. Presently, the Palestinians are facing impending dispossession from their homes in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, in what they say is a move to forcefully evict them and replace it with a Jewish settlement.

The UN’s rights office urged Israel to call off any forced evictions and warned its actions could amount to “war crimes”. “We wish to emphasize that East Jerusalem remains a part of the occupied Palestinian territory, in which international humanitarian law applies,” spokesman Rupert Colville said. “The occupying power cannot confiscate private property in occupied territory.” Transferring civilian populations into occupied territory is illegal under international law and “may amount to war crimes”, he added.

The US State Department said it is “extremely concerned” about the violence in Jerusalem and called on Israeli and Palestinian officials “to act decisively” to deescalate tensions. “There is no excuse for violence, but such bloodshed is particularly disturbing now, coming as it does on the last days of Ramadan. This includes Friday’s attack on Israeli soldiers and reciprocal ‘price tag’ attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, which we condemn in no uncertain terms.”

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