Palestinian shops and businesses in east Jerusalem shut down on Wednesday to protest Israeli police raids in the area that have prompted fierce clashes between police and Palestinian protesters.
Israeli police have been operating in the Shuafat refugee camp in Jerusalem’s eastern sector to hunt for a suspect in a deadly terror attack at a checkpoint on Saturday that killed a female Border Police officer Noa Lazar.
Police have been combing Shuafat, a hardscrabble camp for Palestinian refugees on the outskirts of Jerusalem, for the suspect, setting up checkpoints and deploying groups of armed officers to question residents.
The heavy police presence has sparked intense clashes with local youth. The checkpoints have choked off entry and exit points out of the area, disturbing daily life for residents.
The general strike was called to protest the crackdown. Schools and shops closed across east Jerusalem, including in the Old City, whose colorful stores catering to tourists and locals alike are usually abuzz with activity.
“Showing solidarity with Shuafat means more than a day’s income,” said Anan Sabah, a butcher in the Old City. “The camp has been closed and surrounded for days. We are closed to say that’s collective punishment.”
The raids have sparked a series of terror attacks in recent weeks against Israelis in the West Bank, including one near the Palestinian city of Nablus Tuesday that killed 21-year-old Staff Sergeant Ido Baruch.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians are at a high, especially in Jerusalem, where thousands of Jewish worshippers are flocking to the flashpoint city to mark the weeklong Sukkot holiday.
Fueling the tensions are monthslong, nightly raids conducted by the Israeli military in the West Bank, which began after a spate of terror attacks against Israelis earlier this year.