Confrontations with police
Ultra-right Israelis provoke Palestinians at demonstration in Jerusalem
December 7, 2023, 9:16 p.m
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Ultra-right Israelis meet in Jerusalem to demonstrate. In doing so, they violate agreements. There are clashes with the police. The demonstrators are calling for the “restoration of complete Jewish control in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount.”
According to eyewitness reports, there were confrontations with the police at the start of a march by ultra-right Israelis in Jerusalem in the evening. Israeli television reported that some participants carried signs contrary to an agreement. “One bullet in the head for every terrorist and there is no coexistence with the enemies,” one of the signs said, according to the Kan broadcaster. According to reports, the police prevented dozens of demonstrators from marching through the old town.
With the protest march, the participants wanted, among other things, to demand a “restoration of complete Jewish control in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount.” From the Palestinian perspective, this is a serious provocation. The Temple Mount (Al-Haram al-Sharif) in Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. But it is also sacred to Jews because two Jewish temples used to stand there.
According to a leaflet, the march was also supposed to go through the Muslim quarter. In addition, the participants also demanded the expulsion of the Muslim Wakf authority from the Temple Mount. The authority is responsible for administering the Temple Mount, while Israel is responsible for security. According to an agreement with the Muslim authorities, Jews are allowed to visit the facility but are not allowed to pray there. However, there are always violations.
Jordan condemned the Israeli authorities’ approval of the march. The neighboring country warned against “the continuation of unilateral and illegal Israeli actions aimed at changing the historical and legal status” of Jerusalem and its holy sites. Israel conquered, among other things, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War in 1967. The Palestinians claim the areas for their own state with East Jerusalem as its capital.