New clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police left 19 people injured on Sunday, April 17, in and near the esplanade of the mosques in Jerusalem, where violent clashes had been Friday. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, some were injured by rubber bullets.
The esplanade of the mosques – also referred to as the Temple Mount by the Jews – is located in the Old City in East Jerusalem, a Palestinian sector occupied by Israel since 1967. early sunday, “hundreds” of Palestinian protesters began to gather “stones” on the esplanade shortly before religious Jews arrived on the scene, considered Judaism’s holiest site and Islam’s third holiest site, Israeli police said. Israeli security forces entered the mosque’s esplanade to “detach” these protesters and “restore order”the police said.
Since the 1967 conquest and subsequent annexation by Israel of East Jerusalem – unrecognized by the international community – Jews have been allowed to enter the esplanade at certain times, but not to pray there. The prayer normally takes place at the Wailing Wall, below, even though religious Jews pray in secret on the esplanade for years.
These incidents come as Sunday in the Old City of Jerusalem, the crossroads of the three monotheistic religions, Christian festivities for Easter, prayers for Passover, Passover and for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Israeli civilians targeted
Meanwhile, young Palestinians near the Old City threw rocks at buses carrying Israeli citizens, including minors, according to Israeli police. The Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem reported seven minor injuries from stone throwing, while Israeli police reported 18 arrests.
“Al-Aqsa [mosquée présente sur l’esplanade] is ours, and the Jews have absolutely no right to it.”said Ismaïl Haniyeh, head of the political wing of Hamas, the Palestinian armed Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip, area under Israeli blockade.
In Palestinian neighborhoods of Jerusalem, mosques called on worshipers to come to the esplanade, according to journalists from Agence France-Presse, while more than a dozen rockets were fired toward the Mediterranean in the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, according to media close to Hamas.
Carte blanche for the security forces
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reiterated that: “the security forces had carte blanche” † ensuring the safety of Israeli citizens”† “We are trying to calm the situation on the ground and are taking determined action against the causes of the violence”added Mr Bennett.
Friday morning, after weeks of tension over attacks by two Palestinians in the Tel Aviv region and Israeli operations to “counter-terrorism” clashes broke out in the occupied West Bank between Israeli police and protesters at the Esplanade des Mosques, where the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque are located. In particular, Israeli forces forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque during these clashes that left more than 150 Palestinians injured, an intervention that had drawn strong condemnation from Muslim countries.
Jordan, which runs the mosque’s esplanade, blamed Israel for this new escalation of violence. King Abdullah II called on the Jewish state to “End illegal and provocative measures that lead to further escalation” in case of violence.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone on Sunday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a political rival of Hamas’ Islamists, to congratulate him on his ” Calm “ and sound “Good review” in this case he said on his Twitter account. The UN had already called for a “de-escalation” to prevent the tensions in Jerusalem, like last year in May, from turning into a war between Hamas and Israel.
In the Vatican, during the traditional blessing Urbi and orbi before Easter, Pope Francis pleaded for access on Sunday “free” in the holy places in Jerusalem: “May Israelis, Palestinians and all residents of the Holy City, along with the pilgrims, experience the beauty of peace. †
