Third night clashes in Jerusalem, fear of clashes surrounding Jewish nationalist procession
Palestinians have clashed with Israeli police for the third night in Jerusalem. Palestinians hurled stones at Israeli police in Sheikh Zarah on Sunday night, prompting police to use stun grenades and water cannons.
However, there are reports of a fire near the Damascus Gate in the old city. Palestinian doctors say several protesters were injured.
There are fears there could be more violence centering on a procession of Jewish nationalists on Monday.
Jewish nationalists have organized a flag procession on the occasion of the annual Jerusalem Day.
On this day, young Jews usually march around Muslim areas in processions.
This day commemorates the 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem. Many Palestinians see it as a provocative act.
A former senior Israeli defense official has called for the procession to be canceled or diverted.
Tensions are running high in the city after the Sheikh Jarah area of East Jerusalem threatened to evict a Palestinian family.
Hundreds of Palestinians and more than 20 Israeli police have been injured in the past three days of violence, citing doctors and police.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by Palestinian families many years ago is set to be heard in court on Monday.
What happened on the third day of the clash,
Palestinians hurled stones at Israeli police in Sheikh Zarah on Sunday night, prompting police to use stun grenades and water cannons.
However, there are reports of a fire near the Damascus Gate in the old city. Palestinian doctors say several protesters were injured.
There have also been reports of clashes between Palestinians and Israelis in the Israeli cities of Haifa and Ramallah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed police action in Jerusalem, saying his government would not tolerate any extremist elements to disrupt the peace.
Neighboring Jordan has condemned the move by security forces in East Jerusalem.
The United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, all of the countries involved in the Middle East peace process, have expressed "deep concern" over the violence.
The UN Security Council is due to discuss the issue later today.
The issues that provoked the violence,
Saturday's violence began at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem when thousands of Muslims prayed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the occasion of Laylat al-Qadr, the holy night of Islam.
Earlier on Saturday, Israeli police stopped several buses carrying worshipers to the mosque. Several Palestinians were also arrested in connection with Friday's violence.
"They don't want us to pray. There is fighting every day, there is violence every day. "Problems are being created there every day," Mahmoud al-Marbua, 27, told Reuters.
The reason behind the violence
Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since the 1967 Middle East war. Although they considered the whole city as their capital, most of the countries in the international community did not recognize it.
The Palestinians claim that East Jerusalem will be the capital of their independent country.
Tensions have been high in the area for some time, with the possibility of evicting Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem for Israeli settlements.
The United Nations has called on Israel to end all forms of eviction and to "show maximum tolerance for protesters."
The Arab League has called on the international community to intervene against any move to forcibly relocate.
The Israeli Supreme Court is set to hold a hearing on Monday in a long-running case.
Most of the women are silent. This ancient wall made of limestone is also known as the Place of Weeping.
The Jews pray over this wall. Innumerable pieces of paper lay in the gaps in the walls.
Among them are the prayers of the people who come here. "I'm on the women's side. What's smaller than the men's part. The sound you hear is coming from the men's part," said Laura Jenna Klausner, a woman priest who is campaigning for a place for men and women to pray together.
Women are forbidden to read religious texts aloud,
In the Western Wall, men's voices are more common because women are not allowed to read religious texts aloud.
It is forbidden to wrap oneself in a prayer sheet, or even to sing religious songs aloud. Liberals want to change these rules. They took part in prayers led by female priests as part of the change. Such initiatives in the Western Wall, however, have been hampered.
Liberals have even clashed with extremists, said Radyabai Klausner.
"You look after this place very, very early Religious authority. When the girls came here to pray, there were clashes. There have also been incidents where a chair has been thrown at me from the men's side. He was killed by throwing stool in a bag. "Imagine someone carrying a bag full of feces so they can throw it at the girls," he said.
The conflict between radical and liberal Jews is nothing new in Israel. But lately it has become a big political issue.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a designated place for men and women to pray together. But recently backed away from it.
And many angry Jews. Especially immigrant Jews. Whose settlements are in the United States and Britain. The bulk of the money needed for Israel's survival comes from these immigrant Jews. Radyabai Klausner thinks Benjamin Netanyahu has cheated them.
"The Israeli government has sold the interests of millions of Jews living abroad for political gain. The issue will not be good for relations with immigrants."
The Jews who see men and women praying together are seen as a threat to religion,
But the issue of men and women praying together is seen by the early Jews as a threat to the whole religion. To them, such a change is tantamount to corrupting religion. Samuel Zapabovich, a Jewish cleric known as the Ultra Orthodox, is one of the believers in this idea.
"As conservatives, our goal is to keep religious customs, rituals, and traditions pure. We will preserve them at all costs. Because if the core ideology of Judaism is corrupted, Judaism will not last long," he said.
Although purity is very important in Judaism, the number of liberal believers is also increasing. But Radyabai Zapabovich says liberals have no place in Judaism.
"If the demand for a specific place for men and women to pray together is accepted, it is only because some people believe in alternative Judaism and this is being done to recognize it. We will not accept it at all," he said.
Conflicts over the place of prayer are no longer confined to that place. And in the midst of such a conflict between radical and radical Jews, the Israeli government is trying to find a solution that will please everyone.
But why is Jerusalem such a sensitive issue in the Middle East?
The ancient city is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
There have been decades of violence and bloodshed over this city alone.
The BBC's Neoland in the Middle East says the effects of any change in the situation in Jerusalem are multifaceted and could spiral out of control at any time.
First of all, from a religious point of view, Jerusalem is one of the most important and sensitive cities in the world.
Many of the holiest religious establishments of Islam, Judaism and Christianity are in this city.
Besides, its political significance may now outweigh its religious significance.
Israel says "the same Jerusalem is their eternal capital." In fact, shortly after the establishment of the state of Israel in 1848, Israel set up the country's parliament building in the western part of Jerusalem.
After winning a war with the Arabs in 1967, Israel occupied East Jerusalem and declared the entire city of Jerusalem part of the state of Israel.
What do the Palestinians say?
The Palestinians have never accepted the occupation of East Jerusalem. They have always said that East Jerusalem will be the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
Palestinian leaders are concerned that recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital means burying the idea of an independent Palestinian state. According to them, without them, the formation of a sustainable Palestinian state would never have been possible.
Although Jewish settlements have sprung up in many parts of East Jerusalem over the past decades, the vast majority of the population is Palestinian who have lived in the city for hundreds of years.
The international community has also agreed that the status and ownership of the city of Jerusalem will be determined as part of the final peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians. It is in written form in the UN resolution.
As a result, no country has so far recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
All foreign embassies are in Tel Aviv, although many have consulates in Jerusalem. Sources, BBC
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