Police disperse protest sparked by Jewish politician visit

Flip_flop_politics
Published on Jun 16, 2021
(10 Jun 2021) Israeli police used stun grenades and sprayed skunk water from a water cannon Thursday to disperse Palestinians angry at the presence of a radical Jewish politician at Jerusalem Old City's Damascus Gate.
Itamar Ben Gvir addressed media earlier on Thursday at the plaza that serves as an entry for most of Jerusalem's Palestinians into the Old City, to decry a decision by authorities not to allow him to visit a site that is holy to both Jews and Muslims.
His supporters waved Israeli flags and faced off with youths waving Palestinian flags.
Several protesters were seen being handcuffed and led away by police.
Israeli police have denied a request made by Ben Gvir to visit a holy site known to Jews as Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al Sharif fearing it would spark clashes in the already tense city.
In recent weeks, tension has flared over the eviction of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities blocking access to the important Damascus Gate plaza during Ramadan, and a march of thousands of Israeli ultra-nationalists through the city on May 6, 2021, in celebration of "Jerusalem Day," which marks the capture of East Jerusalem in 1967.
Tension spread from Jerusalem to Gaza leading to an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas.
Ben Gvir, the head of the far-right Jewish Power party is a disciple of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, who incited violence against Arabs, called for Israel to be governed by Jewish religious law and advocated the expulsion of Arabs and other non-Jews from Israel and the occupied territories.
Joining them is the openly homophobic Noam faction.
Although Israel granted jurisdiction of the mosque and complex to an Islamic waqf â€“ "endowment" â€“ Israel still commands access to the grounds and security forces regularly perform patrols and conduct searches within the precinct.
Under the Preservation of the Holy Places Law, the Israeli government has also allowed entry to different religious groups â€“ such as Christian pilgrims.
Many Israelis respect the sanctity of the place. The chief rabbinate of Israel said it is forbidden for Jews to walk on the site in 2005 because of its holiness.
Nonetheless, certain ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups controversially advocate for greater access and control of the site, seeking to reclaim the historic Temple Mount, regarded by Jews as where God promises his full presence.

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