Cop, protesters wounded in East Jerusalem funeral violence
Procession participants raise Palestinian flags and block road to Old City, are dispersed by security forces
Around 30 Palestinians were said wounded and a police officer was lightly hurt during a funeral procession from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of A-Tur toward the Old City on Sunday.
The funeral was for a 24-year-old East Jerusalem man who drowned in the Sea of Galilee on Friday and whose body was found by police naval search teams on Sunday morning.
Halfway through the funeral, protesters raised the Palestinian flag, blocked the road to the Old City and threw stones at officers.
One officer was hit in the face and was treated by a medic at the scene, police said.
A police statement on Twitter said, “By order of the Jerusalem District police chief, a procession and funeral in East Jerusalem was dispersed when participants acted against public order.”
The statement continued: “A number of suspects blocked the road and threw stones at police. An officer was hit in the face by a stone and is being cared for on site. The rioters were dispersed using riot-dispersal methods.”
Palestinian media reported some 30 funeral-goers were hurt, but there were no immediate details on the severity of their wounds.
Police said they have launched an investigation, and would identify those suspected of planning the protest.
The Times of Israel Community.