After 40 Gaza rockets, Israel fears Jerusalem clashes will lead to full-blown escalation - Israel News

/.premium-40-gaza-rockets-israel-jerusal

  • Israeli Forces Continue to Attack Worshipers in Jerusalem
    Apr 25, 2021 – – IMEMC News
    https://imemc.org/article/israeli-forces-continue-to-attack-worshipers-in-jerusalem

    Several Israeli soldiers and police, on Saturday night, used excessive force in an attempt to evacuate hundreds of Palestinian worshipers gathered at the Damascus Gate, one of the entrances into the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.

    The Palestinian Muslim worshipers were trying to go to the sacred Al-Aqsa mosque for the Ramadan nightly
    Taraweeh prayers, according to Palestinian WAFA News Agency.

    It stated that Israeli police fired tear gas, stun grenades and waste-water cannons to force the peaceful worshipers to leave the plaza, adding that police physically attacked some of the worshipers during the evacuation.

    No injuries were reported at the time of this report, and one Palestinian man was detained, no identity was provided.

    Palestinians demonstrated in many areas of the West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip to reject the Israeli assault on peaceful Muslim worshipers in occupied Jerusalem, during the holy month of Ramadan.

    The head of the Higher Islamic Council in Occupied Jerusalem, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, on Saturday, commended the Palestinian youths for their bravery in confronting the occupation forces and defending the Al-Aqsa mosque from further violations, the Palestinian Information Center reported. (...)

    #Jerusalem

    • After 40 Gaza rockets, Israel fears Jerusalem clashes will lead to full-blown escalation
      Yaniv Kubovich, Nir Hasson | Apr. 25, 2021 | 9:13 AM | Haaretz.com
      https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-40-gaza-rockets-israel-jerusalem-clashes-full-blown-escalation-wes

      Intelligence officials tie the recent tensions in Jerusalem to the escalation Israel has seen in other fronts and urge that incidents be handled with restraint

      If the violence and tensions in Jerusalem persist, Israel is likely to witness a deterioration across Israel and the region, top Israeli security officials say, following a security assessment meeting on Saturday.

      Officials are worried that the recent outbursts of violence in Jerusalem could further escalate the flare-up with Gaza, tensions in the West Bank and may even lead to numerous protests in Muslim countries.

      Israeli intelligence officials have linked the violence in Israel’s capital to Friday night’s Gaza rocket barrage, and the subsequent rocket fire on Saturday night. They expressed concern that Israeli attacks on Gaza will strengthen the relationship between Hamas and Israeli Arabs.

      The Israeli army and Hamas have exchanged messages through intermediaries, the gist of which is that if Hamas refrains from additional rocket fire, Israel will not pursue further retaliation.

      After the security assessment, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the officials to prepare for every scenario. Netanyahu has also called for “a calming of tempers on all sides.”

      The army has concluded that restraint is necessary during this sensitive period. Muslims worldwide are observing Ramadan, Gaza and the West Bank are seeing high coronavirus infections rates and the Palestinian parliamentary elections are fast approaching. To avoid sparking a broad escalation on multiple fronts, Israeli security agencies are preaching restraint.

      Meanwhile, the police are preparing for continued clashes in Jerusalem in the coming days and are concerned that confrontations may spread to Arab cities and mixed Jewish and Arab cities.

      Over the weekend, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai ordered to deploy reinforcements, for the second time, and on Saturday night some 1,500 police officers were on duty in Jerusalem in an attempt to quell riots, mainly in the eastern part of the city, Damascus Gate and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

      Clashes broke out at the Damascus and Herod’s Gates, with at least ten Palestinians arrested. Meanwhile, Palestinains clashed with Israeli Border Police at the Qalandiya border crossing with the West Bank, north of Jerusalem.

      Officers were also placed on the Ben Yehuda Street in downtown western Jerusalem to prevent far-right activists assaults on Arabs or leftist activists. The main concern, however, is that one of the sides will perpetrate a terror attack. Shabtai was present on Saturday evening at Damascus Gate and elsewhere in the district.