Tensions Between Israel And Palestine Escalate In Jerusalem During Holy Month Of Ramadan

Hundreds of Palestinians were injured during a confrontation with Israeli police in Jerusalem.

Israeli police detain a Palestinian at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's old city on May 10, 2021. | Reuters
Israeli police detain a Palestinian at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's old city on May 10, 2021. | Reuters

Twenty people in Gaza, including nine children, were reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes Monday after Hamas militants fired rockets toward Jerusalem, injuring no one. The exchange followed a violent confrontation with Israeli police at a mosque that left hundreds of Palestinians injured.

Earlier Monday, Israeli police entered the compound that surrounds al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest places in Islam, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinians, footage shows. Some Palestinian demonstrators responded by throwing stones. The confrontation was the latest in a string of ongoing violence in the region during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Humanitarian organization Palestine Red Crescent reported that more than 300 Palestinians were injured during the skirmish Monday, according to the Associated Press. At least 228 were treated for their injuries at hospitals and clinics, and seven were in serious condition. More than 20 Israeli police officers were reportedly hurt and three were hospitalized. 

Shortly after 6 p.m. local time in Jerusalem, the Israeli army tweeted,“Sirens are sounding in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh.”

“A barrage of rockets is being fired toward southern Israel right now,” The Israel Defense Forces added in a different tweet. 

According to the Associated Press, a spokesman for Hamas’ military, Abu Obeida, said the group fired the rockets in response to Israeli “crimes and aggression” in Jerusalem.

“This is a message the enemy has to understand well,” Obeida said, according to AP. 

What's the backstory?

Tensions have been escalating in Jerusalem over the last few weeks. The Palestinian community has been rallying together in recent days to protest the expected evictions of Palestinian residents who live in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem to make way for Israeli settlers. Israel’s Supreme Court was slated to hear an appeal from the Palestinians on Monday, but the Justice Ministry postponed the hearing Sunday in the wake of ongoing protests and violence in Jerusalem. A new date for the hearing will reportedly be scheduled within 30 days.

What’s the international response?

The AP reported that the United Nations Security Council “scheduled closed consultations on the situation Monday.”

On Sunday, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan “reiterated the United States’ serious concerns about the potential evictions of Palestinian families” to Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, according to the White House’s readout of their phone conversation.

“Mr. Sullivan … assured Mr. Ben-Shabbat that the U.S. will remain fully engaged in the days ahead to promote calm in Jerusalem,” the readout says.

Axios reported Ben-Shabbat told Sullivan that the Biden administration should “should stay out of the crisis in Jerusalem and avoid pressing Israel,” casting a tenser light on the conversation.

On May 7, Ned Price, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, called on Israeli and Palestinian officials to “deescalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence” and said the department is “deeply concerned” about the threatened evictions.

“As we have consistently said, it is critical to avoid steps that exacerbate tensions or take us farther away from peace,” Price said in a statement. “This includes evictions in East Jerusalem, settlement activity, home demolitions, and acts of terrorism.”

Monday’s events came on Jerusalem Day, which Israelis celebrate as the day in 1967 when the army took control of East Jerusalem. Jewish religious nationalists commemorate the day by marching through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem, but Israeli authorities ordered the marchers to reroute in an effort to quell tensions.