Israeli Police Arrest Dozens in Night of Chaos in Jerusalem
Voice of America
JERUSALEM - Israeli police say 44 people were arrested and 20 officers were wounded in a night of chaos in Jerusalem, where security forces separately clashed with Palestinians angry about Ramadan restrictions and Jewish extremists who held an anti-Arab march nearby.
Tensions have spiked in recent days in Jerusalem, which has long been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Residents braced for possible further unrest as police stepped up security and the U.S. Embassy appealed for calm. In what seemed a retaliation for the incidents in Jerusalem, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired three rockets toward Israel late Friday. The Israeli military said two rockets fell near Gaza frontier and the third was intercepted by Israeli air defenses. No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the attack, which came hours after Hamas' armed wing warned Israel "not to test" its patience. There were concerns the violence could reignite following Friday prayers at a major holy site in Jerusalem, but thousands of worshippers dispersed peacefully after Muslim religious leaders called for restraint. The Islamic militant group Hamas meanwhile staged demonstrations across Gaza reiterating its support for armed struggle.
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