JERUSALEM, Israel — Israeli troops on Sunday shot and killed a Palestinian during a firefight over the demolition of the home of a terror suspect in the West Bank city of Jenin – Biblical Samaria, Israel’s military said.
The Army said Israeli soldiers opened fire on a group of armed Palestinians during the gun battle. Palestinian media reported that a 17-year-old was killed during the clashes.
Israel’s military said troops came under fire from Palestinians in the village during the raid and “fired at several armed [Palestinians] who they identified at the scene.” Hundreds of rioters reportedly threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at officers.
The troops were in the neighborhood to destroy the home of a Palestinian man allegedly involved in killing an Israeli during a shooting attack in December. WHA
Meanwhile, Palestinians and Israelis clashed in the flashpoint Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah over the weekend.
Tensions escalated after far-right Israeli parliament member Itamar Ben Gvir said he would open an office in the contentious neighborhood following a firebomb attack on an Israeli home. Ben Gvir said he would keep his makeshift office despite attempts by Israeli police to dismantle it until authorities meet his demand that around the clock security be provided to the firebombing victim’s family.
On Sunday, Ben Gvir and his supporters also gathered on the front lawn of a home where 11 Palestinian residents face eviction from its new owner — far-right Jerusalem council member Yonatan Yosef.
Video online shows Palestinians and Israelis shoving each other before erupting into a full-blown fight. An unnamed police official told Israel’s Channel 12 that Ben Gvir had made a “substantial contribution” to the escalating violence.
The clashes continued throughout the day with Israelis chanting “Death to Arabs” and “Death to terrorists,” while Palestinians chanted slogans in support of the Hamas terror group. Most Israelis do not agree with Ben Gvir and his supporters’ calls to rid the Holy Land of Arabs.
Police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to break up the crowds.
“In the past day, we have witnessed disinformation and misinformation circulating on social media in relation to various events in the area, along with violent and inflammatory online discourse, and unlawful attempts to ignite the area,” police said in a statement on Sunday evening.
“The Israel Police will continue to act with determination and with zero tolerance against violence of any kind, violation of public order and illegal attempts to harm police officers or civilians,” the statement added.
Police said Sunday evening that 12 suspects had been arrested for public disorder.
A Hamas spokesman said the “attacks on Sheikh Jarrah, led by Itamar Ben Gvir, are a game of fire that could ignite all of Palestine.”
“The ramification of such attacks are explosive and could backfire,” the statement said before calling on Palestinians in Jerusalem and on the West Bank to “mobilize for the residents of Sheikh Jarrah.”
Sheikh Jarrah was the site of similar clashes involving Ben Gvir last May, which contributed to the violence that sparked an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas after Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired rockets at Jerusalem. Israeli leaders have accused the Palestinian Authority and Hamas of exploiting the disputes in Sheikh Jarrah to incite violence.
Sheikh Jarrah has become one of the most tense neighborhoods in Jerusalem. There, several Israeli groups have sought the eviction of Palestinians who have lived there for decades.
Jordan seized the neighborhood during Israel’s war for independence in 1948 and drove out the Jewish residents. Later, Palestinian families resettled this land in the 1950s after becoming refugees during the war. They say Jordanian authorities leased them the homes in Sheikh Jarrah in exchange for giving up their refugee status. Jordan supports this claim.
When Israel recaptured the land from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War, it transferred all previously-owned property to Israeli custody.
Israeli groups argue that the homes were built on land that was owned by Jews prior to Israel’s war for independence in 1948 and cite an Israeli law that allows Jews to reclaim property lost in the war. No such right exists for Palestinians who also lost homes in the same conflict.
The Palestinian residents argue that their situation is unfair because they cannot reclaim the homes they lost in the war, and also stand to lose decades-old homes they gave up their refugee status for.
Today, many Palestinians living in the neighborhood face eviction and have waged legal battles to stay.
The Palestinians and human rights groups view the battle over Sheikh Jarrah as part of a larger war over Jerusalem’s demographic future and a coordinated attempt to push Palestinian residents out of the holy city. However, Israel has characterized the matter as a private real-estate dispute and claimed that Palestinian leaders are using the legal battle to fuel violence against Israel.
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