Officers injured, 40 arrested in Jerusalem as hardline Jewish group and Palestinians clash with police during Ramadan

Tel Aviv — There was heightened security in Jerusalem on Friday after a night of violent clashes involving far-right Jewish Israelis, Palestinians and police left many injured and dozens under arrest. Additional police forces were deployed near the Old City to brace for what many feared would be a continuation of the violence following Friday prayers as Muslims mark the holy month of Ramadan.

The holy month always brings more worshippers to pray at the mosques in the holy city, and the past week has seen a series of violent assaults on Palestinians after TikTok videos showed Palestinians assaulting Orthodox Jews near Damascus Gate, the entrance to Jerusalem's Old City. The violence kicked off on Thursday night after an anti-Arab far-right Jewish activist group, called LEHAVA, organized a march in East Jerusalem. The group called it a march to "restore Jewish dignity," and urged people to join, and to arm themselves.