Police have arrested six Jewish suspects who allegedly assaulted an Arab man on Sunday and hurled stones at vehicles while racial tensions continued in Jerusalem.
Several witnesses told the Haaretz daily that the suspects approached passers-by in downtown Jerusalem and asked questions to distinguish the accent from respondents. Those with an Arabic accent were attacked by the mob.
Footage uploaded on social media showed dozens of young Jews near the Jaffa light rail station singing ‘Death to Arabs’, with several waving Israeli flags.
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“I was at a bar and I saw a group of 60 guys shouting, ‘A Jew is a good soul, an Arab is a son of a bitch!’ “They were looking for someone with an Arabic accent,” Yuval Avraham told Haaretz. “I followed them down Jaffa Street. At that time, there were no police officers on them. They were looking for Arabs, and one of them suddenly shouted “There’s an Arab there!” Everyone started running after the guy. Then a police car arrived and several officers ran after it. ‘
Jerusalem, your 2014 is back. “Death to the Arabs” in the city center. Police arrested 6 young Jews on suspicion of assaulting Arab passers-by. pic.twitter.com/aYPBngSGaO
– Nir Hasson Nir Hasson Nir Hasson 19 April 2021
Monday’s events come against the backdrop of a handful of videos uploaded by East Jerusalem Palestinians on social media, in which they can be seen as stunned by the ultra-Orthodox and religious Jews. The tracks, which were uploaded mainly on the social network TikTok, provoked widespread distribution among Jewish as well as Arab MKs.
In the latest documented incident of Monday night, a Haredi teenager can be seen riding his bicycle near Tzahal Square in downtown Jerusalem, when three Arab youths repeatedly charged and kicked him before fleeing.
This video was shot tonight in the IDF Square in Jerusalem, in front of police officers. A group of Arabs jump on a young Jew, without fear of the heart of Jerusalem, something bad is happening here pic.twitter.com/Z35VDtmZlN
– Haim Goldberg (@haim_goldberg) 19 April 2021
Jerusalem has also seen frequent clashes over the past week between Palestinian residents and police blocking Palestinians from sitting on the steps of the Damascus Gate. In an unofficial tradition in Jerusalem, thousands of Palestinians sit in the area after night prayers during Ramadan.
Police deployed water cannons and stun grenades to disperse crowds as rioters threw stones and fired fireworks at police.
The Islamic holy month has long been a hotbed of violence between young Palestinians and Israeli security forces.
