An Israeli court decided to temporarily stop work on Wednesday on the Center for the Homeless in Jaffa that was planned to be built above an old Muslim cemetery, according to The Jerusalem Post's sister paper Maariv.
Despite the decision, clashes continued between Jaffa residents and Israel Police on Wednesday, with a number of protesters arrested for disturbing the peace, attempting to forcefully enter the cemetery, throwing rocks and spraying tear gas at police.
The El-Asaf cemetery dates to the 18th century and was discovered in April 2018 as the city of Tel Aviv began digging to construct the foundation of the planned Center for the Homeless. Previously, a building dating to the Ottoman period stood on the same grounds, Ynet reported.
Protests over the planned construction turned violent over the weekend.
Two arson events took place in the central city of Jaffa overnight Friday. In one case, an Eden water company truck was ignited, causing grave damage to cars parked nearby. Firefighting and rescue teams arrived at the scene and contacted police, which began investigating the circumstances of the incident.
Moreover, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a Tel Aviv municipal building. During that incident, a window in the building was shattered and a plastic bottle filled with gas was tossed inside. The fire caused extensive damage to at least one of the offices in the building.Alon Hochmon/Maariv contributed to this report.