Israeli occupation forces imposed a nearly full lockdown of the occupied East Jerusalem Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood on Thursday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
"For some Israeli lawmakers, a Palestinian’s home is the perfect place to set up a makeshift office. All it takes is a tent, a plastic folding table, and an entourage of armed Jewish settlers". @m7mdkurd https://t.co/0QN2Yl146F
— Ben White (@benabyad) February 16, 2022
According to WAFA, the lockdown was imposed shortly after dozens of Palestinian citizens and peace activists were assaulted by the forces.
WAFA correspondent said Israeli Police physically assaulted Palestinians and solidarity activists outside the home of the Salem family – who are facing a risk of forceful Israeli expulsion – in the neighborhood and injured many of them.
“They’re creating facts on the ground. [Israeli forces] are trying to get people used to the checkpoints, so when they come to evict… they’re already in control of the area,” #SheikhJarrah resident, Raeda Haj Mahmoud tells @zenatahhan https://t.co/QyMXeXUqVc
— Mohammed El-Kurd (@m7mdkurd) February 17, 2022
Paramedics attempting to provide first aid to the injured were also denied entry into the neighborhood by the police, she added.
Tensions remained high in the neighborhood over the past week as extreme right-wing Israelis led by Israeli lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir set up a makeshift office in the neighborhood, provoking its residents and drawing confrontations from time to time.
Amnesty International warned Israel on Tuesday that forcible transfer of Palestinians under occupation amounts to a war crime, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Read more: https://t.co/a3ckL7osPN pic.twitter.com/iAIzH8wtch
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 16, 2022
Following the move, dozens of settlers raided the neighborhood just after midnight, pelting stones at Palestinian homes and damaging cars.
Currently, 37 Palestinian families live in Sheikh Jarrah, six of them are facing imminent eviction. Since 2020, Israeli courts have ordered the eviction of 13 Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah.
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)
