Unrest in East Jerusalem
Photo: Reuters
22 Palestinians arrested in East Jerusalem unrest
Over 700 Palestinians arrested for violence since July, police note significant increase in number of minors taking part in riots.
Israeli police said on Tuesday that they arrested 22 Palestinians in East Jerusalem overnight on suspicion of throwing stones and Molotov cocktails, as three months of protests showed no signs of letting up.
It brought to 700 the number of arrests in east Jerusalem since July, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement, including 50 this month alone. The list of Palestinians arrested shows that the majority of suspects were young men, and even some minors.
Palestinians throwing Molotov cocktails at homes in Jerusalem.
Among those arrested Tuesday were 13 minors, who police said were suspected of having thrown fire bombs at Jewish homes or at security forces in the past week. Because of their young ages, the suspects will be released to their homes instead of being held in custody.
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Investigators are working with the appropriate authorities and their conclusions will be passed onto attorneys for indictments.
Damage to Jerusalem's light rail. (Photo: Gil Yochanon)
Sources from within the police said that the ages of the suspects didn't come as a surprise, but added that there has been a steady rise in the number of minors taking part in riots and violence against both police and Israeli civilians.
Violence in East Jerusalem.
"It could be that in some of these cases someone is ordering them or convincing them (to violence)," suggested the police source, adding that incitement on social media might also play a role in the increasing violence.
"Some of these cases are a result of the economic atmosphere that they're dealing with, like in the most recent incident in which the youth said during their questioning that their actions were performed out of hate for Jews," said the source.
Some of the suspected Palestinians are accused of throwing rocks and causing damage to Jerusalem's light rail. In reaction to the increase in attacks on the train, undercover security forces have been stationed on the trains to deter and capture anyone throwing rocks.
AFP contributed to this report.
