Dozens of people demonstrated this morning outside the Jerusalem District Court, which had convened over a petition filed by two Palestinian families from the Silwan neighborhood against their imminent eviction. Two demonstrators were detained by police for disrupting public order. The court session ended without a ruling. The judges said they will rule on the matter after the High Court rules on similar cases that have been presented to it recently.

In parallel, the Knesset today held a session on the ongoing violence in mixed Jewish-Arab cities. Reportedly, Public Security Minister Amir Ohana and Arab legislator (Labor) Ibtisam Mara'ana exchanged words. Ohana was quoted as saying that "some of Israel’s Arab citizens turned weapons against Jews, against police officers, against citizens." Mara’ana responded, "Stop inciting and do your job." Ohana also said that "five synagogues were torched, but no one torched a mosque; Jewish citizens were lynched and fired at." To that, Mara’ana reminded him that an Arab citizen was killed in the city of Lod. Ohana announced at the same session that the reserve unit of Israel’s border police will be reinforced and thousands of extra police officers will be recruited in the coming three years.

Israel and Hamas agreed May 21 on a cease-fire. Evidently, the agreement did not calm tensions inside Israel, though these tensions were at the origin of Hamas’ recent rocket campaign. Tensions had risen in Israel at the beginning of May. Residents of the East Jerusalem Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah were demonstrating then against court orders for their eviction after settlers allegedly proved to the court ownership over their houses. At the same time, tensions rose by the Damascus Gate near the Jerusalem Old City, where Arab youngsters traditionally gather during the month of Ramadan, and on the Temple Mount compound.

All of these incidents were followed by clashes and attacks by Arabs against Jews and Jews against Arabs in several cities across the country. The Gaza rocket campaign, launched when tensions first erupted on Temple Mount, encouraged more violence in Lod, Ramle, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Acre and Bat Yam. Far-right Jewish groups have been trying to enter city centers to generate conflicts with Arabs. In Jaffa, some Arab citizens have taken matters into their own hands by organizing local neighborhood watch groups, especially in the late night hours.