6 arrested in Jerusalem clashes during event to mark Muhammad’s birthday

Police say cop lightly hurt after Palestinians began throwing rocks and bottles at officers amid procession at Old City’s Damascus Gate

Hundreds of Palestinian Muslims celebrate the Prophet Muhammad's birthday with a procession in Jerusalem's Old City, October 8, 2022. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
Hundreds of Palestinian Muslims celebrate the Prophet Muhammad's birthday with a procession in Jerusalem's Old City, October 8, 2022. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

Several Palestinians were arrested and a cop was injured in clashes Saturday in East Jerusalem, according to police.

The scuffles broke out during a procession in Jerusalem’s Old City to mark the Islamic Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, which passed through the flashpoint Damascus Gate.

Police said a number of rioters threw rocks and bottles at officers, lightly injuring one of them. Six people were arrested.

“The Israel Police will act with zero tolerance toward rioting or violence of any type,” police spokesman Eli Levi tweeted.

Police added that they were working to restore order.

The Red Crescent reported five Palestinians were wounded.

The violence followed several other clashes between police and Palestinians in recent weeks, with the military and police on heightened alert over the Jewish holiday season. Tensions were already high due to an ongoing anti-terror campaign in the West Bank that has seen over 100 Palestinians killed and more than 2,000 arrested in nightly raids, during which Israeli troops have regularly been targeted by gunfire.

The operation was launched after a series of attacks that killed 19 people between mid-March and the beginning of May.

Most Popular
read more: