Monday, July 1

Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police leave dozens injured in Jerusalem


Most were injured in the Al-Aqsa mosque complex, during the last Friday of Ramadan

Enfrentamientos entre palestinos y la policía israelí dejan decenas de heridos en Jerusalén
Violence has left hundreds of wounded in Jerusalem this weekend.

Photo: REUTERS / Courtesy

BBC News Mundo

At least 163 Palestinians and six Israeli policemen were injured in clashes in Jerusalem, Palestinian doctors and Israeli police reported .

Most were injured in Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades as Palestinians threw stones and bottles.

Tensions have increased as a result of the possible eviction of Palestinian lands that are claimed by Jewish settlers.

The Red Crescent has opened a field hospital to treat the wounded.

The complex of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem is one of the most revered places in Islam, but it is also a Jewish holy place, known such as Temple Mount.

The site is frequently the focus of violence.

End of Ramad an

On Friday night, the clashes occurred after thousands of people gathered there to observe the last Friday of Ramadan , the Muslim holy month.

Complejo de la mezquita Al-Aqsa
The Israeli police patrol the site, which is revered by both Muslims and Jews.

The Israeli police said they had used force to “Restore order”, Complejo de la mezquita Al-Aqsa due to the “disturbances of thousands of faithful” after the evening prayers.

An official from Aqsa asked calm over the mosque’s loudspeakers. “The police must immediately stop firing stun grenades at the faithful, and young people must calm down and be quiet!”, According to the agency Reuters.

The emergency service of the Palestine Red Crescent said that 88 of the wounded Palestinians were taken to hospital after receiving rubber-coated metal bullets. Police said some of the six injured officers needed medical treatment.

Increase in tensions

The international community was also in favor of de-escalation, while increased anger due to the threat of eviction of Palestinian families in the Shaikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem.

Alrededores de la ciudad vieja de Jerusalén
The UN said that Israel should suspend any evictions and employ “the utmost restraint in the use of force” against the protesters.

A spokeswoman for the United States Department of State said Washington was “deeply concerned about the increase in tensions.”

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Vennesland , urged all parties to “respect the status quo of the holy places in the Old City of Jerusalem for the sake of peace and stability. ”

The UN has said that Israel should suspend any evictions and employ “the utmost restraint in the use of force ” against the protesters.

On Monday, the Supreme Court of Israel will hold a hearing on this legal case.

Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since the war of 1967, and considers the entire city its capital, although this Is not recognized by the vast majority of the international community.

Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the future capital of an independent state.

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