Occupied Jerusalem -
Tension has prevailed since yesterday evening, Saturday, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem, after hundreds of extremist settlers mobilized to storm the neighborhood and attack its residents and their property, with the support of extremist MK Itamar Ben Gvir, who announced the transfer of his office to the neighborhood for the second time, but this time to the western part of it. .
The attacks began hours after the burning of a settlement outpost in the neighborhood, where the residents said that the fire was caused by an electrical fault, while the extremists claimed that the fire was deliberate and immediately began carrying out their attacks by burning vehicles, beating the residents and spraying them with pepper spray and gas.
Salem's family is the most affected family in the neighborhood, as it was recently announced that the eviction order had been implemented against them between the first of March and the first of next April.
The elderly Fatima Salem - this morning and yesterday evening - received her share of extremist attacks, according to her son Ibrahim, who told Al Jazeera Net that settlers assaulted her yesterday evening, Saturday, by beating her, and today by spraying her with gas because she defended her son Khalil in the face of their attacks, and the result was Khalil's arrest by Israeli intelligence. He beat his elderly mother.
Ibrahim says that the intensity of the attacks escalated after the family received the decision to carry out the eviction, and that its members are now on a weekly schedule with the attacks that are carried out every Friday.
He added, "Hundreds of settlers attacked the neighborhood yesterday evening. They attacked us by throwing stones, insults, breaking vehicles and beatings. Today, Itamar Ben Gvir arrived in the morning and decided to set up a tent, and set up an office for him in front of our house, and this was accompanied by attacks on us and our solidarity with us."
This young man confirmed that the family's life turned into hell under the protection of the occupation forces for the settlers during the execution of their attacks, and if one of its members decided to defend himself, the response would come immediately by arresting him and abusing him.
He added, "We haven't slept since mid-December, and we take turns protecting the house from which our eviction is imminent. We can only defend it with our bare chests until the last minute."
As for the Jerusalemite activist, Muhammad Abu al-Hummus, despite his injury and the faltering of his steps, he insisted on going to the neighborhood yesterday evening and this morning in solidarity with the family against the settlers’ attacks, and said that the occupation is punishing the residents collectively for a fire that broke out in an intrusive settlement outpost in the neighborhood.
He pointed out that the number of settlers who attacked the neighborhood since yesterday until today exceeded 300 extremists who carried out their attacks with the protection of the occupation army, while Ben Gvir stormed the western part and set up an office for him on the land of the Salem family, which is threatened with eviction in a provocative manner that led to tension and confrontations in the place.
Abu al-Hummus also received a share of attacks, severe beatings and an attempt to steal the Palestinian flag, which accompanies him in all his solidarity stands in Jerusalem. This activist confirmed that the settlers and their leaders are racing against time and the law, and with their attacks they want to intimidate Salem’s family and evacuate them before the appointed date from the occupation courts.
MK Ben Gvir (centre) leads a campaign with settlers to storm Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah (Al-Jazeera)
The extremist Itamar Ben Gvir has been leading a solidarity campaign through his Facebook page since yesterday, claiming that "the Arabs burned the settler's car 9 times and now they burned his house, and if the police are unable to protect him, he and the settlers will take care of that."
To achieve political gains, bin Ghafir announced the transfer of his office to the western side of the neighborhood, which he did today, months after he moved his office to the eastern section of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood last summer.
It is noteworthy that the extremists called for a demonstration in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood at 7:30 pm on Sunday against "Arab terrorism and police inaction."