What sparked the current unrest in Jerusalem?
The current tension comes in the context of illegal Israeli settlement expansion in occupied East Jerusalem and the expulsion in the past 16 months of several Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of the city. Weekly demonstrations have been held in Sheikh Jarrah and have grown in size in the intervening months. Tensions were exacerbated as settlers, backed by the Israeli government, recently celebrated the confiscation of Palestinian homes and sang the praises of mass murderer Baruch Goldstein. Further, Israel’s decision in February to add the Ibrahimi Mosque/Cave of the Patriarchs in occupied Hebron and the Mosque of Bilal ibn Rabah/Rachel’s Tomb in occupied Bethlehem to a list of national Jewish heritage sites caused alarm among Palestinians. The March 15 rededication of the Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem’s Old City caused similar alarm. Palestinians from the West Bank were prohibited by Israeli forces from entering Jerusalem between March 11 and 16.
