Israel disperses protest in E. J’lem Bedouin community

JERUSALEM (AA) - Three foreign nationals were arrested Thursday when Israeli forces forcibly dispersed a demonstration in Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin community in East Jerusalem.

“Israeli forces stormed Khan al-Ahmar this morning and began attacking demonstrators,” community spokesman Daoud Jahaleen told Anadolu Agency.

During the melee, he said, three foreign nationals were arrested by Israeli police.

Jahaleen added that “dozens” of Israeli soldiers, accompanied by bulldozers and military vehicles, had surrounded the community since Thursday morning.

“The army is now preventing journalists and solidarity activists from reaching the area,” the spokesman added.

On Wednesday, Israeli bulldozers destroyed a number of tents and other structures in Khan al-Ahmar, triggering clashes with local residents.

There are 46 Bedouin communities scattered across Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem inhabited by a total of some 3,000 residents.