Could Jerusalem's youth revolt turn into an uprising?
Despite efforts by Israel and Palestinian Authority to ease tensions in Jerusalem, clashes between Palestinian youth and Israeli police may turn into a full-fledged uprising.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The pace of developments escalated in Jerusalem following the assassination attempt of Rabbi Yehuda Glick and the killing of Moataz Hijazi. Events took a new turn, especially after the Israeli authorities closed Al-Aqsa Mosque for a day for the first time since 1967. It reopened the compound on Oct. 31 to those older than 50 for Friday prayers.
The escalation came hours after Israel tightened its security grip on Jerusalem and adopted a policy of “collective punishment” against the Palestinians in response to clashes that erupted with Israeli police in the city.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) deemed the Israeli decision to close Al-Aqsa compound as a declaration of war, while Israel and the settlers continued to accuse the PA of being behind the events. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had, however, announced in an interview with Israel’s Channel 10, before Glick's shooting, that he was against the outbreak of a Palestinian uprising in Jerusalem.
Since the kidnapping and killing of Mohammed Abu Khdeir on July 2, Jerusalem has been experiencing confrontations on various levels of intensity.
