Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem this morning amid mounting violence in recent days. Soldiers deployed rubber bullets, tear gas and sound bombs at Palestinians, injuring hundreds. Over the weekend, Israeli forces wounded hundreds more worshipers and protesters at Al-Aqsa, including on one of the holiest nights of Ramadan. Protests have been growing against the expulsion of Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
Sireen Jabareen: “The plan is to occupy all of Jerusalem and turn it into a Jewish, ethnic, developing city that lacks an Arab presence. And this allows them to occupy the Palestinian capital. And this allows them to get all the homes, like they did in Nakba in 1948 and in 1967.”
On Sunday, Israel’s Supreme Court postponed a hearing, originally set for today, on the planned evictions from Sheikh Jarrah. The court will schedule a new date within 30 days. Meanwhile, the nationalist Israeli holiday, Jerusalem Day, and its annual flag march is going ahead today, prompting fears of further violence.
