Israel: violent clashes between Palestinians and Jewish supremacists in East Jerusalem
Audio 01:30
Confrontation between an Israeli policeman and a man carrying a camera, near the Damascus Gate, at the entrance to the Muslim quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.
© REUTERS - AMMAR AWAD
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
For a little over a week and the start of the month of Ramadan, every night, clashes have pitted Palestinians and supremacist Jews, far-right activists, at the entrance to the old city, an Arab sector occupied and annexed by the Hebrew state.
The Israeli police are trying to keep the two camps at bay, but the violence is gaining ground.
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With our correspondent in Jerusalem
,
Sami Boukhelifa
Stun grenades were fired by the Israeli police.
The objective is to disperse the gatherings on the Palestinian side.
We are at the Damascus Gate, at the entrance to the Muslim quarter of the old city.
It is in this part of East Jerusalem that Mohamed, a young Palestinian, lives.
“
The Israelis refuse to let us celebrate Ramadan in peace,
regrets the young man.
During the holy month, we usually gather here at the Damascus Gate.
But they want to kick us out of public space and make sure it is occupied by settlers.
"Before adding:"
We are the guardians of Jerusalem, we will defend our city at all costs.
"
Mutual accusations
A hundred yards away, Israeli security forces are keeping hundreds of far-right Jews at bay.
There is a double security cordon: metal barriers and mounted police block the passage of an angry crowd.
Insults burst forth.
“
It's ours, it's ours,
” repeats Moshe, a young Israeli.
According to him, the Palestinians have created a climate of terror.
He accuses them during
Ramadan
of preventing Jews from going to pray at the Kotel, the Western Wall.
“
If you're not an Arab, you risk getting beaten up.
You're afraid to go to the old town to get to the Kotel.
It is not because they have a party that they no longer have to respect the rules by hitting everyone
, ”he continues.
Each camp accepts responsibility for the violence.
Israeli police claim to have arrested both Arabs and Jews.
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