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A Jerusalem police spokesman announced that following the weeks of Islamic violence surrounding Har Habayis, a major operation was launched to arrest many of those involved in that violence.

The statement read:

“The Israeli police view with severity the attempt to use serious disturbances in order to shape reality and influence decision-making, and will not permit it.

“Through fieldwork, intelligence gathering, documentation, sophisticated use of technology, and the determination of Israel Police investigators, the main suspects in the violence and disorder were mapped and identified. Our job is to maintain order and allow normal life and routine to normative citizens, and we will continue to act without compromise.”

Since the fatal terror attack on Har Habayis in which two policemen fell in the line of duty, there has been daily violence directed at security force.

During the disturbances, dozens of suspects gathered in several locations simultaneously throwing stones, objects, glass bottles, blocking roads, burning cans and Molotov cocktails, and shooting firecrackers in a direct setting that endangered civilian lives and police forces.

Several policemen were injured during the disturbances, and the police acted to disperse the lawbreakers using appropriate means.

In addition to dealing with the serious disturbances and restoring order and security to the residents of the city, the police acted both openly and undercover, and collected findings that led to the establishment of an evidentiary infrastructure against major rioters, which caused unrest and heated up and took an active part in the disturbances.

As a result, police during the night operated in a number of areas in the eastern capital including A-Tor, Shuafat, Beit Haninah, Wadi Joz, Issawiya, and the Old City, arresting a total of 33 suspects including seven minors ages 13-17.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)