Clashes in East Jerusalem, as Israel marks Yom Kippur
20-year-old killed in clashes with troops near home of Sunday's terrorist, Palestinian reports say
Israel shut down Wednesday for the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday, with roads, shops, airports and even radio and TV stations all closed, while Israeli authorities sealed off the West Bank and Palestinian areas of East Jerusalem.
The solemn holiday of Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, began Tuesday evening and ended Wednesday at sunset.
Security was tight for this year’s holiday with fears of a new surge in violence, particularly following a Palestinian terrorist attack in Jerusalem on Sunday in which a gunman killed two Israelis.
Overnight Tuesday-Wednesday, clashes erupted during a Border Police raid in the Silwan area of East Jerusalem, where the gunman lived, residents and local activists said.
Palestinian officials said Israeli forces shot dead a 20-year-old Palestinian man, Ali Shiouki. Israeli authorities said they had shot at a man who was among a group who threw Molotov cocktails at them “while greatly endangering the soldiers’ lives.”
Forces operating in Na’alin, west of Ramallah, came under Palestinian gunfire Tuesday. There were no injuries, and troops arrested four suspects in the shooting.
Clashes also erupted Wednesday in Al-Ram, a Palestinian area on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
More than 3,000 police were deployed to Jerusalem to ensure security for the solemn holiday.
In Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial capital and a far more secular city, streets were filled with walkers, bikers and skateboarders, while shops owned by Arab residents that remained open were drawing many customers — particularly those selling alcohol.
Some in the Mediterranean city had picnics on the beach.
A young skater, Amnon Elkaim, called the day “a little bit magical, where there is really nothing to do except see friends and go to the beach”.
A mother with her young son, who wore a Spiderman costume, called it a “real vacation day”.