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  • Israeli nationalists march through East Jerusalem, attack press reporters

    Israeli nationalists march through East Jerusalem, attack press reporters

    Countless Israeli nationalists marched through Palestinian areas in Jerusalem on Wednesday, provoking tense scenes and conflicts with authorities.

    The yearly Flag March commemorates Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967. Critics implicate organizers of intentionally annoying the divided city’s Palestinian neighborhood, with stress specifically high this year amidst the dispute with Gaza.

    Big contingents of authorities apart demonstrators and Palestinians in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday, Israeli media reported, with some individuals being apprehended for assaulting a group of reporters.

    A press reporter from Israel’s liberal Haaretz paper composed on the social networks platform X that a coworker was assaulted after safeguarding fellow reporters. 5 individuals were apprehended in the occurrence, authorities stated.

    Before the Six-Day War, Jordan administered East Jerusalem, which includes significant spiritual monoliths consisting of the Wailing Wall – among the holiest websites in Judaism – and the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

    Previous marches have actually seen young ultra-nationalist Israelis violence rioting and performing violence versus Palestinians.

    An Israeli police holds back an Israeli right-wing activist as he argues with a Palestinian old man during a march to commemorate Jerusalem Day. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

    An Israeli authorities keeps back an Israeli conservative activist as he argues with a Palestinian old male throughout a march to honor Jerusalem Day. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

    Clashes between right-wing Israelis and Palestinians occur during a march to commemorate Jerusalem Day. Ilia Yefimovich/dpaClashes between right-wing Israelis and Palestinians occur during a march to commemorate Jerusalem Day. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

    Clashes in between conservative Israelis and Palestinians happen throughout a march to honor Jerusalem Day. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

    Palestinian journalist Saif Kwasmi holds his head after Israeli right-wing activists attacked him during a march to commemorate Jerusalem Day. Ilia Yefimovich/dpaPalestinian journalist Saif Kwasmi holds his head after Israeli right-wing activists attacked him during a march to commemorate Jerusalem Day. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

    Palestinian reporter Saif Kwasmi holds his head after Israeli conservative activists assaulted him throughout a march to honor Jerusalem Day. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

    Israeli settlers celebrate in front of the Damascus gate as part of Jerusalem day commemoration. Ilia Yefimovich/dpaIsraeli settlers celebrate in front of the Damascus gate as part of Jerusalem day commemoration. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

    Israeli inhabitants commemorate in front of the Damascus gate as part of Jerusalem day celebration. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

  • Ultra-Orthodox protesters obstruct Jerusalem roadways ahead of Israeli court choice on draft exemptions

    Ultra-Orthodox protesters obstruct Jerusalem roadways ahead of Israeli court choice on draft exemptions

    Lots of ultra-Orthodox protesters obstructed roadways in Jerusalem on Sunday as Israel’s Supreme Court heard arguments in a landmark case challenging a questionable system of exemptions from military service given to the spiritual neighborhood.

    The court is taking a look at the legality of the exemptions, which have actually divided the nation and threatened to collapse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing union. A choice is anticipated in the coming weeks.

    The majority of Jewish males and females in Israel are needed to serve compulsory military service at the age of 18. However the politically effective ultra-Orthodox have actually generally gotten exemptions if they are studying full-time in spiritual academies. These exemptions have actually irritated the larger public, particularly as numerous soldiers have actually been eliminated in the war with Hamas.

    Throughout Sunday’s arguments, federal government legal representatives informed the judges that requiring ultra-Orthodox guys to employ would “tear Israeli society apart.” The court recommended a target of getting 3,000 ultra-Orthodox guys a year –- more than double the existing levels however still less than 25% of their general numbers.

    In Jerusalem, Israeli cops cleared protesters from roadways, and powerfully got rid of those who quickly obstructed the city’s light rail. Demonstrators shouted “to jail and not to the army.”

    In March, the court purchased an end to federal government aids for lots of ultra-Orthodox guys who do not serve in the army.

    Netanyahu deals with a court-ordered due date of June 30 to pass a brand-new law that would end the broad exemptions. However he depends upon ultra-Orthodox celebrations to prop up his federal government, and ending the exemptions might trigger them to leave and activate brand-new elections.

  • Video of crowd chanting at Al-Aqsa mosque predates Iran’s attack on Israel

    Video of crowd chanting at Al-Aqsa mosque predates Iran’s attack on Israel

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    A screenshot of the TikTok post, taken on April 15, 2024

    This suggests that the video was taken on the last Friday of the recently concluded Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

    The ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar lasted between March 10 and April 9, 2024.

    AFP reported that some 120,000 people visited the Al-Aqsa mosque on Friday, April 5, 2024, to mark Laylat al-Qadr, which means “The Night of Destiny” (archived here).

    The night commemorates the moment the archangel Gabriel first appeared to Prophet Mohammed and began revealing the Koran.

    An AFP journalist in Lebanon noted that the audio track featured in the clips was taken from an older video of a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Jordan, published on YouTube in 2017 (archived here). AFP Fact Check previously debunked another claim using the same audio track (here) in Arabic.

    The chant can be heard eight seconds into the YouTube video.

    “Labbyaka ya Aqsa”, meaning “We obey you O Aqsa”, is a common chant heard during religious gatherings or pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the Middle East.

    The Al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is a site sacred to both Islam and Judaism in the Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem that has long been a lightning rod in Israeli-Palestinian relations.

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  • Israel orders eviction of Palestinian family from east Jerusalem property, reigniting a legal battle

    Israel orders eviction of Palestinian family from east Jerusalem property, reigniting a legal battle

    JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli court on Monday ordered the eviction of a Palestinian family in a contested neighborhood of east Jerusalem, the latest in a legal saga that has come to symbolize the conflicting claims to the holy city.

    The Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood has been the focus of a long-running battle between government-backed Israeli settlers and longtime Palestinian residents. It’s part of a broader trend of settlers encroaching on Palestinian neighborhoods in contested east Jerusalem, and previous attempts at evictions in Sheikh Jarrah have led to violent clashes and helped spark an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in 2021.

    According to Monday’s ruling, the Diab family was given until July to vacate the house in Sheikh Jarrah. The family said it would appeal.

    The Israeli magistrate court described the case as a simple dispute over real estate, ruling that the extended Diab family was squatting in a property owned by Jews and had no legal rights to it. Palestinians say they have lived in the homes for decades.

    The case against the family was launched by Nahalat Shimon Ltd, a Jewish settler organization that for years has been involved in legal efforts to evict Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah.

    Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed the area in a move that is not internationally recognized. Israel considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, home to the city’s most sensitive holy sites, as the capital of their future independent state.

    Nahalat Shimon is trying to seize the property under an Israeli law allowing Jews to reclaim properties that were Jewish before Israel was established in 1948. Jordan controlled the area between 1948 and the 1967 war.

    There is no equivalent right in Israel for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes during the war surrounding Israel’s establishment.

    Saleh Diab, one of the men in the family, said his family of 20 has been living in the Sheikh Jarrah property since 1955. He told The Associated Press he was shocked by decision and thought his family was protected under a 2022 Supreme Court decision that halted the planned evictions of four other Palestinian families in the same area.

    Monday’s decision comes at a time of heightened tensions in Jerusalem over Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

    A high-profile eviction case in Sheikh Jarrah helped spark the 11-day war in May 2021. Israel’s firebrand National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, played a key role in rallying demonstrations in support of the settlers as an opposition lawmaker at the time.

    In his current position, Ben-Gvir oversees the nation’s police force.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

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  • Jerusalem sees large anti-government protest for fourth night

    Jerusalem sees large anti-government protest for fourth night

    Thousands of Israelis protested for the fourth day in a row against the government and in favour of an agreement to release the hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

    Israeli media reported that the demonstrators gathered with torches in their hands near the parliament building in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening. They also demanded new elections. In a speech, the mother of a kidnapped man accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of standing in the way of a hostage deal.

    Clashes between police officers and demonstrators later broke out.

    According to police, several people tried to march to Netanyahu’s private home and break through security barriers. One person succeeded in doing so, but no one managed to reach the residence.

    Israeli media reported that the security forces had violently dispersed some demonstrators, including the daughter-in-law of a man who had been abducted to the Gaza Strip.

    Large anti-government demonstrations have been held in Jerusalem since Sunday, and protestors have also set up 100 tents in front of the parliament as part of the multi-day protest campaign.

    On Saturday, people also demonstrated against Netanyahu’s leadership in Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities. Relatives of the hostages accuse him of having no serious interest in securing the release of Israelis being held by Hamas inside the Gaza strip.

    Israel’s conservative head of government rejects the criticism, and recently insisted he feels obliged to bring all hostages home. A new election, on the other hand, would paralyse negotiations on the release of further hostages and “bring about an end to the war before the goals have been achieved,” according to Netanyahu.

    The US, Qatar and Egypt have been mediating between Israel and Hamas for weeks in order to achieve a new ceasefire and an exchange of hostages kidnapped from Israel for Palestinian prisoners. Israel estimates that almost 100 hostages held by the Islamist organization are still alive.

    Israelis block roads during a protest in Jerusalem against the right-wing religious government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protesters called for the government to resign and urged a fresh election and a quick deal to release the hostages held by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

    Israelis block roads during a protest in Jerusalem against the right-wing religious government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protesters called for the government to resign and urged a fresh election and a quick deal to release the hostages held by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

    Israelis block roads during a protest in Jerusalem against the right-wing religious government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protesters called for the government to resign and urged a fresh election and a quick deal to release the hostages held by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas. Ilia Yefimovich/dpaIsraelis block roads during a protest in Jerusalem against the right-wing religious government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protesters called for the government to resign and urged a fresh election and a quick deal to release the hostages held by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

    Israelis block roads during a protest in Jerusalem against the right-wing religious government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protesters called for the government to resign and urged a fresh election and a quick deal to release the hostages held by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

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  • Jerusalem marks festive holiday of Purim in shadow of war

    Jerusalem marks festive holiday of Purim in shadow of war

    JERUSALEM (AP) — Tens of thousands of people celebrated the Jewish holiday of Purim on Monday, though the traditionally boisterous celebrations were muted by the Israel-Hamas war.

    Although many cities across Israel decided to cancel their Purim celebrations due to the ongoing conflict, Jerusalem held a traditional Purim parade for the first time in 42 years, featuring large floats of beloved children’s characters and fantastical creations.

    Jerusalem celebrates the festival of Purim, which marks the victory of Jews over a tyrant in ancient Persia, one day later than the rest of the country.

    Some people believe that Jerusalem should have canceled the “Unity Parade” and other Purim celebrations because of the war. About two dozen family members and supporters of the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza protested, chanting “Shame! Shame!” at the start of the parade.

    “I know it’s tradition to be happy on Purim, but this year I think it’s tactless to do these carnivals,” said David Heyd, one of the protesters.

    Other family members of the hostages kicked off the parade, marching silently at the front with a giant yellow ribbon and 134 folded yellow cranes, one for each of the hostages held in Gaza.

    “My daughter, she needs to be here, she was supposed to be here. I am wearing a shirt she was supposed to wear, and I’m waiting for her,” said Meirav Leshem Gonen, whose daughter Romi has been held hostage in Gaza for 170 days.

    Jerusalem transforms into a raucous festival during Purim. Families in colorful costumes throng the downtown, children eating copious amounts of traditional triangle cookies. Musicians set up on balconies overlooking the main drag and street parties in the stone alleys stretch into the evening.

    “We’re showing the whole world and our enemies that we’re continuing to live, continuing to celebrate,” said Shabi Levy, a Jerusalem resident who watched the parade with his three children.

    “It hurts a little, we have a lot of conflicting emotions, and the happiness in our heart has a tear in it,” he said, as the families of the hostages walked by.

    Sara Sasi, one of thousands of people evacuated from northern Israel due to ongoing fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, said her family was still able to find the magic within the holiday, despite the uncertainty of when they would be able to return home.

    “We have a lot of faith, and we know we can’t do anything about the situation, so it won’t help us to be upset,” she said.

    “It’s complicated, we’re here half crying and half happy,” said Racheli Goldshtein, who watched the parade with her six children. “There’s so much sadness following us every day, whenever we get an opportunity to grab some joy we go after it.”

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    Find more of AP’s Israel-Hamas coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

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