Police, locals clash in Sheikh Jarrah

Police, locals clash in

sheikh jarah 248.88 channel 2 (photo credit: Channel 2)
sheikh jarah 248.88 channel 2
(photo credit: Channel 2)
Sheikh Jarrah locals and left-wing activists staged a violent protest in the east Jerusalem neighborhood on Friday afternoon against the growing number of Jews moving into houses there. The demonstration began after about 150 left-wing activists and residents of east Jerusalem conducted a protest march to Sheikh Jarrah. A violent clash ensued when security forces attempted to prevent the demonstrators from entering Jewish houses in the neighborhood. Civilian and border policemen eventually used pepper spray to disperse the incensed protesters, later arresting 21 of them - mostly Jewish left-wing activists - on suspicion of unruly conduct. The suspects were taken for interrogation. Six policemen lightly injured following the clash with the protesters were treated at the scene. Friday's violent protest was one of a number of similar outbursts that have taken place in Sheikh Jarrah in recent months. A large number of Jewish-owned homes in the east Jerusalem were seized by the Jordanian government between 1948 and 1967, and are now the subject of an ongoing legal battle between Jewish claimants and the Arab families who live there. Abe Selig contributed to this report