Ben Gvir hunkers down; Jews and Arabs break bread in former flashpoint Sheikh Jarrah

Police in Jerusalem remain on high alert despite tensions mostly dissipating following a partially foiled right-wing march through the Old City, Kan reports.

At Tzahal Square right outside the Old City, MK Itamar Ben Gvir and a few dozen nationalists are continuing to camp out in protest of police blocking them from Damascus Gate, but traffic and life there have mostly returned to normal.

A few kilometers away, in Sheikh Jarrah, dozens of Arabs and Jews sit down for a large communal Iftar meal to break the Ramadan fast.

The show of coexistence is especially salient given the day’s events and the fact that it is taking place in the exact neighborhood that sparked tensions a year ago that led to war.

Officials warned all day that another major conflict could break out if Ben Gvir was allowed to whip up nationalists at Damascus Gate, drawing direct parallels to a year earlier.

The juxtaposition is not lost on many.

#SheikhJarrah: 200 Palestinian and Israeli activists celebrate the holidays tonight in a joint festive meal.
Right on the street where families are fighting against displacement –
This isn’t ‘coexistence’, its co-resistance and it’s beautiful.#SaveSheikhJarrah pic.twitter.com/SaVcntLajT

— Uri Agnon (@UriAgnon) April 20, 2022

Palestinians and Israelis, Arabs and Jews, broke bread together today at a joint Iftar dinner in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, in a heartwarming, nonviolent act of friendship and solidarity with the local Palestinian residents facing displacement.
Joint action for peace! https://t.co/imHBZwIF18

— Ori Nir | اوري نير | אוֹרי ניר (@orinir1960) April 20, 2022

בזמן שירושלים כמעט עלתה באש בשייח ג'ראח קרה קסם. לא אכביר במילים תבינו מה שתבינו pic.twitter.com/dTQc6MzrB8

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— Omer Arvili (@OmerArvili) April 20, 2022

Despite the goodwill, there are initial reports of light clashes in the area.