Israel announced on Wednesday the end of its lockdown on East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, which started last Friday.
Israeli police say that thousands of troops will still be ready for deployment in the city if clashes re-new. At least 38 Palestinian civilians were injured by Israeli police fire during clashes in East Jerusalem on Tuesday, following several days of protests that also resulted in injuries of Palestinians.
The clashes took place after fundamentalist Israeli settler groups opened a synagogue on Monday near Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem. Tension was high in Jerusalem as Israel declared intention to build 50,000 new housing units for settlers in the city last week.
Israeli police announced today that officers have arrested 60 Palestinians from different parts of Jerusalem in connection to clashes.
Since Friday of last week, Israel has completely sealed off Jerusalem, preventing all West Bank residents, including those who have a permit, from entering the city. Also, Israeli police prevented all Palestinian men under the age of 50 from entering the Old City.
No clashes were reported today in Jerusalem. But in Hebron and Bethlehem cities, in the southern West Bank, clashes erupted when troops attacked school children protesting against Israel’s policies in East Jerusalem. Two journalists were reported injured in those clashes.
