Clashes between Palestinian protesters and the Israeli police left 42 injured this Friday in the Esplanade of the Mosques, a focus of tension in the center of Jerusalem, after more than a month of violence in the occupied territories and in Israel.
Friday morning”42 were reported injured in clashes with the occupation forces” in the Esplanade of the Mosques, announced the Palestinian Red Crescent, which had previously given a first balance of 12 wounded.
Of the 42 injured, 22 were transported to the Jerusalem hospital, although “none are in serious condition“, specified this entity.
The Israeli police indicated that their agents intervened because “rioters” threw stones and fireworks at the Wailing Wall, the most important place of prayer for Jews located also in that enclosure. The statement indicates that the police used “riot dispersal means” in their intervention.
None are in serious condition
Witnesses and ‘AFP’ journalists pointed out that the agents fired tear gas and rubber bullets.
A precarious calm settled later, during the morning, in the place, while thousands of faithful had to come in the next few hours for this day, the last Friday of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month that ends at the beginning of next week.
In recent days, tension has been high on the Mosque Esplanade, considered the third holy place for Muslims and the holiest for Jews under its name ‘Temple Mount’. In the past two weeks, more than 250 Palestinians have been injured in clashes at this site in Jerusalem’s Old City.
The Esplanade of the Mosques is located in the eastern part of Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since 1967, and later annexed. This holy place is administered by Jordan but its access is controlled by the Jewish State.
‘Defend Jerusalem’
These disturbances occur in a context of escalation after four attacks since the end of March in Israel, which left 14 dead, including an Arab-Israeli policeman. Two of the attacks were carried out in Tel-Aviv by Palestinians from the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
Since then, a total of 26 Palestinians and three Israeli Arabs have been killed (including the perpetrators of the attacks) in clashes with Israeli forces, who have carried out operations in the occupied West Bank.
These clashes occurred when “Youm al-Quds al-alami” is celebrated this Friday, an annual day of “defense” of Jerusalem, initiated by Iran after the Islamic revolution of 1979.
On Thursday night, leaders of the Palestinian movements of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, close to Iran, held a demonstration in a Gaza stadium to mark this day and urged to “defend” Jerusalem and the Esplanade of the Mosques. General Hosein Salami, head of the Guardians of the Revolution, an Iranian ideological army, participated in the event by videoconference and stated that “the State of Israel will be defeated.”
The presence on the Esplanade of the Mosques during Ramadan of a large number of Jews – who are allowed to visit the place under certain conditions and at specific times, but without praying – and the deployment of the security forces in this place located in the Old City of Jerusalem, was described as a “provocation” by the Palestinians and several countries in the region. But Israel will “maintain” the status quo of the Esplanade of the Mosques in Jerusalem, assured Sunday the head of Israeli diplomacy Yaïr Lapid, who affirmed that the recent police interventions in the esplanade were “justified”.
AFP
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