[ 25/04/2010 - 11:37 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

Violent confrontations broke out Saturday evening between Palestinian young men and illegal Israeli settlers in Shaikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem after the settlers uttered offensive remarks against Prophet of Islam Muhammed (PBUH).

At the pretext of performing Talmudic rituals, about 120 settlers stormed yesterday the neighborhood, east of Jerusalem, as they were chanting slogans against Islam and Muslims and cursing Prophet Muhammad.

For their part, the Jerusalemite citizens in the neighborhood confronted the settlers in order to stop their provocative acts and clashed with them with hands and batons, which led to sending a large number of Israeli troops to protect the settlers and suppress the citizens.

Local sources said that a power outage happened in the part of a Palestinian house which the settlers seized from Al-Kurd family years ago after Palestinian youths seemed to have damaged electrical wires outside the house.

In separate incidents, Israeli settlers and troops attacked the homes of Palestinian citizens in Jabal Johar neighborhood, south of Al-Khalil city, on Saturday afternoon.

Press sources said that armed settlers threw stones at homes belonging to Idris family in the area which led to the injury of an elderly man from the family and the wife of Raji Idris who was detained by the troops as he was trying to protect his wife.

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) also carried out a wide military operation, which started at dawn Saturday, in the area of Arab Al-Ramadin, south of Al-Khalil, at the pretext of searching for Palestinian workmen who cross into the 1948 occupied lands.

On the same day, the IOF troops attacked two separate peaceful marches in Al-Khalil which led to the injury of three protesters and the arrest of six others including foreign activists.

At Least Five Palestinians Wounded In East Jerusalem

Sunday April 25, 2010 11:22 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian medical sources reported Sunday that at least five Palestinians, including a medic, were wounded by rubber-coated bullets fired by the Israeli army at protestors in Al Bustan neighborhood in Silwan town, in East Jerusalem.

Dozens of protestors closed the entrances Silwan with stones and tires while the police and undercover forces attacked them.

Most of the clashes are concentrated near the protest tent installed by the residents against settlements and the illegal takeover of Palestinian homes and buildings in Jerusalem.

Dozens of illegal Israeli fundamentalist Jewish settlers are planning to march in Silwan on Sunday while the police decided to allow them to hold their protest.

The settlers are calling for the expulsion of the Palestinians from the neighborhood and from East Jerusalem.

The police sealed the entrances of Silwan while hundreds of officers were deployed in the area.

Furthermore, the Israeli police kidnapped Hatem Abdul-Qader, a Fat'h official in charge of Jerusalem File, and accused him of “planning a criminal act”. The police also kidnapped several residents during dawn invasions Sunday targeting Wadi Hilwa neighborhood.

Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported that nearly 50 settlers marched to the center of Silwan to protest what they described as “illegal Palestinian constructions”.

The settlers are headed by extreme fundamentalists Itamar Ben Gvir and Baruch Marzel,

Haaretz said that Israeli Prime Minister requested on Saturday night that the march be postponed but his request was rejected by the Israeli Attorney General who claimed that there are no legal grounds to prevent the protest.