Israeli forces, settlers attack Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli forces and settlers assaulted Palestinians and Arab Knesset members in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem on Monday.

Israeli extremists and right-wing politicians entered the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to join Israeli settlers in attacks on Palestinians, witnesses told Anadolu Agency.

Among these were Bezalel Smotrich, head of the far-right Religious Zionist party, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party.

Arab members of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, confronted the Israelis and were assaulted by the settlers, the witnesses said.

They included Ayman Odeh, head of the Arab Joint List in the Knesset, and Knesset member Osama Saadi.

Israeli forces also detained a number of Palestinians who were in the area to express solidarity with Palestinian families facing eviction from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah.

Tensions have run high in the Sheikh Jarrah area since last week as Israeli settlers have swarmed in after an Israeli court ordered the eviction of Palestinian families.

Israeli forces have been relentless in their attacks on Palestinians since Friday when they injured more than 200 Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is the third-holiest site in the world for Muslims, and in Sheikh Jarrah.

Heavily armed Israeli forces stormed the mosque compound again on Monday morning, firing rubber-coated bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at Palestinians, wounding more than 300.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980 – a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara