Despite mounting tensions and a seemingly imminent outbreak of violence, far-right Israeli MK Itamar Ben-Gvir set up an office today in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied Jerusalem, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Videos shared on social media showed fierce clashes breaking out in the neighborhood following Ben-Gvir’s provocative move, and Jewish settlers were seen throwing chairs at native Palestinian citizens as Israeli Police stood by to protect them.
TODAY: Dozens of Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli armed forces, broke into lands belonging to the Salim family in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem. They proceeded to attack local residents in an attempt to intimidate and displace them. #DefundRacism pic.twitter.com/NKGxNbulUg
— Good Shepherd Collective (@Shepherds4Good) February 13, 2022
Ben-Gvir’s makeshift office was set up on the land of the Palestinian family of Salem which is facing an imminent risk of Israeli expulsion in favor of far-right Israeli organizations.
Last night, scores of Jewish settlers backed by police stormed the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in occupied Jerusalem, where they attacked and terrified native Palestinian families and attempted to evict some of them from their homes.
Israeli occupation forces assault Palestinian activist Mohammed Abu Hammous while protesting against the forced dispossession of Salem family in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, occupied Jerusalem.#SaveSheikhJarrah pic.twitter.com/7cNmCUiH9U
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) February 13, 2022
Eyewitnesses told WAFA that groups of Jewish settlers, backed by Israeli Police, stormed the neighborhood in the middle of the night, pelted stones at homes and smashed some parked vehicles belonging to local Palestinian citizens.
Press sources: "The effects of Israeli forces and settlers aggression while ago on Fatima Salem, whose house is threatened with dispossession in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem."#SaveSheikhJarrah pic.twitter.com/GreoxBd4BW
— AlQastal News (@QastalNewsEn) February 13, 2022
The neighborhood is already an explosive issue as far-right Jewish organizations attempt to expel Palestinians there from their homes, an issue that led to a round of violence last year fueled by Israel’s attempts to expel native families from their homes by force.
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)
