Arrests follow Jerusalem riots; West Bank closure lifted
Border Guard officers detain two al-Tur residents suspected of throwing firebomb at jeep; closure imposed on West Bank last week lifted
A day after the violent clashes between security forces and Jerusalem's Arab residents, Border Guard officers arrested overnight Wednesday two residents of al-Tur on suspicion that they had thrown a firebomb at a Border Guard jeep in the neighborhood. No injuries were reported in the incident, but the jeep caught fire.
Meanwhile, police have opened the Old City's Temple Mount site to visitors, and no violent incidents have been reported so far. Furthermore, the full closure that was imposed on the West Bank late Thursday has been lifted.
Police brass are conducting situation assessment meetings on the riots of the past few days, and it appears extra forces will be deployed throughout Jerusalem on Wednesday as well.
On Tuesday a senior IDF official estimated that the violent clashes in Jerusalem were local incidents which would not spark a new intifada and spread to areas outside the city. Palestinian elements threatened earlier that the riots would develop into a wide-scale violent struggle.
According to the Palestinians, more than 100 people were injured and 70 others were arrested during the "day of rage" declared in east Jerusalem on Tuesday.
During Tuesday's clashes an Israeli policeman was lightly wounded after being shot at in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud. The man, who sustained a mild hand injury, was evacuated to the Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital for medical attention.
On Tuesday evening two buses travelling through Jaffa were pelted with stones. There were no reports of injuries and no suspects were arrested, but the windowpane of one of the buses was smashed. The incident took place on two of Jaffa's main streets - Jerusalem Avenue and Yefet Street.
The circumstances of the incident were unclear, but the police were looking into a possible link to the "day of rage" events in Jerusalem.
