Israeli police detain 7 Palestinians in Jerusalem

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli police detained seven Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, according to a police statement on Monday.

"Five suspects were arrested last night in the Bab al-Amud area for interrogation on charges of throwing stones and assaulting policemen," the statement said.

Two Palestinian youths were also rounded up on Monday on suspicion of attacking an Israeli in the same area, police said in a separate statement.

For the sixth consecutive day, Israeli police forced Palestinians to evacuate the Bab al-Amud area, one of the gates to Jerusalem’s Old City, triggering clashes between Palestinian youths and police personnel.

Since the beginning of the Muslims’ holy month of Ramadan, Jerusalem has witnessed skirmishes between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces due to the latter's attempts to prevent annual Ramadan gatherings and activities in the city center.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat