Israeli-Palestinian battle seethes in Jerusalem
Jerusalem has returned to the center of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with riots in the contested city.
The city of Jerusalem has once again found itself at the center of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cited Jerusalem as his reasoning for postponing the long-awaited legislative elections. Of all eligible Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, 93% had registered to vote and 36 lists had to produce 3,000 signatures and post $20,000 in registration fees (at least $10,000 of which is not returnable) to compete in the contest.
Regardless of whether one questions Abbas’ justification, that he singled out Jerusalem as the main issue has prompted both his supporters and his critics to scramble to show that they support east Jerusalem and oppose Israeli efforts to Judaize it.
The struggle to save dozens of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood from eviction took center stage with daily protests, in which Israeli peace activists were also involved. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry got involved, submitting a complaint to the International Criminal Court about Israel replacing indigenous Palestinians with Jewish settlers in direct violation of international law, including the 2017 UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Acts of solidarity have included daily local vigils and protests and a wide-ranging international campaign to support the Palestinian residents, most of them refugees from the 1948 war.
