Israeli police arrest 44 after night of chaos in Jerusalem

Security forces separately clashed with Palestinians angry about Ramadan restrictions and Jewish extremists

Residents braced for possible further unrest as police stepped up security and the US embassy appealed for calm

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Palestinians shout slogans during a rally in Gaza city early on Saturday condemning overnight clashes in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:13pm, 24 Apr 2021Updated: 12:13pm, 24 Apr 2021

Israeli police said 44 people were arrested and 20 officers were wounded in a night of chaos in Jerusalem, where security forces separately clashed with Palestinians angry about Ramadan restrictions and Jewish extremists who held an anti-Arab march nearby.

Tensions have spiked in recent days in Jerusalem, which has long been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and is home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Residents braced for possible further unrest as police stepped up security and the US embassy appealed for calm.

In what seemed a retaliation for the incidents in Jerusalem, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired at least 10 rockets toward Israel late on Friday and early Saturday in the worst cross-border flare-up in months. Some of the missiles were intercepted by Israeli air defences and others fell near the Gaza frontier. The Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for some of the rocket fire and Hamas’ armed wing warned Israel “not to test” its patience.

Israeli soldiers hold their weapons during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Friday. Photo: Xinhua

Meanwhile, hundreds of people challenged nightly curfews imposed by Gaza’s Hamas rulers to curb the coronavirus outbreak and took to the streets in an act of solidarity with fellow Palestinians in Jerusalem.

There were concerns the violence could reignite following Friday prayers at a major holy site in Jerusalem, but thousands of worshippers dispersed peacefully after Muslim religious leaders called for restraint. The Islamic militant group Hamas meanwhile staged demonstrations across Gaza reiterating its support for armed struggle.

But late on Friday, dozens of Palestinians marched toward an entrance to the walled Old City of Jerusalem and clashed with Israeli police, which said the protesters had thrown stones and other items at officers. Six Palestinians were injured with two hospitalised.

Palestinians have clashed with Israeli police on a nightly basis since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The tensions began when police placed barricades outside the Old City’s Damascus Gate, where Muslims traditionally gather to enjoy the evening after the daytime fast.