Some 150 protestors were on hand in the Shimon HaTzaddik (Sheikh Jarrah) neighborhood of the eastern capital on erev shabbos, and the Arabs supported by leftist Israelis denounced the growing Jewish presence in the predominately Arab area of the city.

The left-wing liberal champions of human rights are leading the struggle to oust Jews from the homes, homes legally acquired, whose ownership is backed by the courts, preferring to decry the renewal of the Jewish presence in this area of the capital following years of Arab occupation.

Protestors shouted provocative and defamatory statements against the Jewish residents, and when they were ordered to disperse, they refused to comply with police instructions leading to 17 arrests.

Human rights activists released a statement decrying the actions of Israel Police and society’s apathy in the wake of the ongoing attempt to stifle their legitimate voice of protest.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)