Extremist Israeli settlers savagely assaulted Palestinian shopkeepers and pedestrians today during a provocative march through Al-Wad Street in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, according to local sources. Groups of Israeli settlers guarded by police physically assaulted Palestinian civilians, beat them up, pepper-sprayed them and smashed some of the content of their shops during the march, said the sources. Despite the attack, a Palestinian young man was arrested by the Israeli police during the attack. Meantime, Israeli police and settlers broke into the neighboring Palestinian neighborhood of Ras al-Amud and removed Palestinian flags that hanging on poles. Earlier today, groups of extremist Israeli settlers backed by police stormed the Palestinian neighborhood of al-Tour in the city, assaulting and beating local Palestinian residents, smashing windshields of vehicles and indiscriminately firing at homes and shops. No injuries were reported. Also in occupied Jerusalem, extremist Jewish settlers continued and for the third day in a row their provocations in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, particularly at a time Palestinians arrive at the Mosque for prayer. Settlers yesterday held similar provocations and got into a brawl with Palestinians arriving for the noon Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa. Police intervened only to protect the settlers and threw gas and sound bombs at the Palestinians. On Thursday, tens of thousands of settlers marched through the Muslim Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem, chanting hate and racist anti-Arab slogans, vandalizing Palestinian property, and attacking people in the streets while the police watched from a distance or intervened only to protect the settlers.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA