Hundred of Arabs and left-wing Israelis took part in an erev shabbos protest against the increasing Jewish presence in the Shimon HaTzaddik neighborhood of the capital, known in the mainstream media as the Sheikh Jarrah area, preferring to promote the Arab name. the recent court cases ruling in favor of the Jewish owners of the homes have elicited the ire of leftists, who seem more comfortable with a continued Arab occupation of the area of the eastern capital.

The protest has become a weekly event, but this week, the opponents to the legal acquisition of homes by Jews enjoyed the presence of a number of notables, including retired Labor MK and former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg, retired long time Meretz party leader Yossi Sarid, and Arab MK Mohammad Barakeh.

Police declared the gathering illegal, but not everyone was willing to adhere to orders to disperse. A scuffle also erupted with neighborhood Jewish residents who were the target of the provocative act, leading to one protestor sustaining a light head injury requiring transport to a hospital. Police arrested over 20 protestors.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)