Israel’s 'Jerusalem Day' march to go ahead despite calls for calm

There are fears of further violence in Jerusalem, as Israelis prepare to hold a march in the city on Monday. This comes after hundreds of Palestinians were wounded in nightly unrest. In an apparent bid to de-escalate tensions, Israel’s supreme court scrapped a Monday hearing on eviction orders against Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, which has been a focal point of protests. But a Monday march of flag-bearing Israelis through the Old City, which marks Israeli forces' occupation of East Jerusalem, could further inflame an already volatile situation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused “agitators” of being behind the violence. “We will uphold law and order – vigorously and responsibly. We will continue to guard freedom of worship for all faiths but we will not allow violent disturbances,” he said. In the worst night of violence in Jerusalem for years, on Friday police stormed Al Aqsa Mosque compound. The Palestine Red Crescent Society treated more than 200 people injured around East Jerusalem that night, while the Israeli police said 17 officers were hurt. Scenes of rubber bullets being fired and stun grenades exploding at Islam’s third-holiest site sparked international condemnation. “I am following with particular concern the events which are happening in Jerusalem,” Pope Francis said on Sunday. “Violence only begets violence,” added the pontiff. While prayers to mark the holy night of Laylat Al Qadr on Saturday passed peacefully at Al Aqsa Mosque, further clashes with police at the gates to the compound were reported early on Sunday morning. At the edge of the Old City, meanwhile, police on horseback cantered towards Palestinian demonstrators while other officers threw stun grenades. Security forces also sprayed a foul-smelling liquid towards the young Palestinians, who responded by throwing rocks, plastic bottles, and lighting fires in the street. Similar scenes unfolded in nearby Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, where dozens of Palestinians are under threat of eviction. At least 80 Palestinians and 17 police officers were injured across the city on Saturday night, according to medics and Israeli authorities. Hundreds of protesters have rallied in Sheikh Jarrah in recent weeks, calling for the eviction orders to be scrapped. The Palestinian families are fighting to keep homes built for them by Jordan, after they became refugees when Israel gained statehood in 1948. They are up against legislation enacted after Israel seized East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1948, which permits landowners from decades earlier to reclaim their property. Peace Now, an NGO in Israel that advocates a two-state solution, said Palestinians had never won the right to keep their homes permanently. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the latest case was “a real estate dispute between private parties”. With no sign of the unrest in East Jerusalem abating, Tunisia has requested a UN Security Council meeting to discuss “the dangerous escalation and hostile practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.” Jordan, which serves as custodian of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, described the actions of the Israeli security forces as “barbaric”. The UAE, one of four Arab nations to normalise ties with Israel last year, pressed Israeli authorities to “take responsibility for de-escalation, to end all attacks and practices that lead to continued tension ”. The ongoing events in Jerusalem have also raised the ire of Gaza rulers Hamas, whose senior leader Ismail Haniyeh warned Mr Netanyahu not to “play with fire”. A rocket was launched from Gaza early Sunday morning, according to the Israeli military, which said it responded by striking a Hamas military post. The Israeli army has also sent reinforcements to the occupied West Bank, following a spate of deadly incidents there. This month a 16-year-old Palestinian boy, two alleged Palestinian gunmen and a 19-year-old Israeli man have been killed.

Israel’s 'Jerusalem Day' march to go ahead despite calls for calm

The Israeli flag-waving march through Jerusalem’s Old City comes amid the holy city’s worst religious unrest in several years