After another weekend of Arab violence and attacks against the Jerusalem light rail, 1,000 police and border police troops have been assigned to the city to restore law and order.

The situation in the capital became increasingly worrisome following the fatal terror attack at the Ammunition Hill Jerusalem light rail station which claimed the life of 3-month-old Chaya Zisel Braun HY”D. On Sunday morning 2 Marcheshvan one of the wounded in that attack remained hospitalized, listed in grave condition. Her family has arrived from S. America to remain at her bedside.

Friday afternoon Muslim prayers on Har Habayis concluded in an atmosphere of relative quiet. A number of policemen were lightly injured by rocks hurled by Arabs in the capital on Friday afternoon. Police imposed restrictions on Islamic worshippers on Friday morning to distance Islamic youth from the holy site. The move succeeded in preventing major disturbances. A number 25 bus traveling from the northern capital to the center of the city was attacked with rocks on motzei shabbos. A number of windows were smashed and two infants were injured.

Public Security Minister Yitzchak Aharonovich held another security briefing on Friday morning which included senior Israel Police commanders as well as officials from the ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet).

Police have launched Operation Guardian of the Walls, the operation intended to restore law and order to the capital and bring an end to the Arab violence. Aharonovich has called for more arrests and Police Chief Yochanan Danino announced his troops will exhibit zero tolerance to ongoing violence and attacks. The city is divided in three sections for purposes of the operation and a senior officer will be commanding each section.

Violence continued in the Shimon HaTzaddik (Wadi Joz) area of the capital on erev Shabbos as Arabs attacked security forces. The Gerre Chassidim section in Har HaZeisim was targeted in yet another vandalism attack against the beis hachaim that occurred on Shabbos. There was also at least one firebomb attack against Mosdot Beit Orot in the eastern capital. YWN-ISRAEL has recently reported that 40% of the light-rail fleet is out of service as a result of damage sustained in terror attacks.

Adding to police concerns was the death of 17-year-old PA youth Erva Abed el-Wahav, an American citizen. He was killed in Silwad, an Arab village near Yishuv Ofra in the Binyamin Regional Council area of Shomron. According to the preliminary IDF report, the youth was fired upon after attacking a motorist with a firebomb on Route 60, the main area vehicular route. A sharpshooter force stationed in the area and witnessed the attack fired at the young terrorist, killing him. As is usually the case, PA (Palestinian Authority) officials insist gunfire aimed at the young terrorist was unjustifiable. An official in the US State Department called for an immediate and transparent investigation into the shooting death.

On Sunday more police troops are being moved into the capital, bringing a total of 1,200 policepersons involved in Operation Guardian of the Walls. This includes regular police, border police and Special Forces.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)