JERUSALEM – Per week into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a flashpoint Jerusalem web site is seeing nightly confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli police which have raised concern a few repeat of violence that erupted final yr.
The amphitheatre-style plaza outdoors the Outdated Metropolis’s Damascus Gate is a well-liked spot for Palestinians to satisfy after breaking their each day vacation quick. Distributors roll carts of snacks and juice into the sq.. Palestinian youth at occasions carry out acrobatics to cheers from the group.
However tensions are once more excessive within the metropolis holy to Christians, Jews and Muslims. Israel has deployed additional safety forces to the realm after a string of lethal Arab assaults in Israel and as holidays from every faith – Easter, Passover and Ramadan – coincide.
Palestinians say the heavy presence of police, many carrying riot gear, makes issues worse. A yr in the past, nightly clashes between Palestinians and police grew so intense they helped spark an Israel-Gaza battle.
“We would like the Ramadan month to go peacefully and for folks to really feel secure and safe,” mentioned Palestinian activist Ahed Al-Risheq. However Israel, he mentioned, is trying to stoke tensions. “It's obvious within the behaviour of its forces and its police.”
Israeli police say that whereas most current are attempting to have fun, each evening a small group of younger males who come from outdoors the town hurl stones at officers. They've arrested 36 folks across the Damascus Gate for the reason that begin of Ramadan on April 2, in accordance with a police spokesperson.
Palestinians need East Jerusalem, which incorporates the walled Outdated Metropolis and was taken by Israel within the 1967 Center East battle, because the capital of a future state. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its indivisible capital.
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