Clashes reported in Sheikh Jarrah as firebrand MK says he won’t budge

Low-level clashes between Palestinians, right-wing Israeli Jews and police have reportedly restarted in Sheikh Jarrah as far-right MK Itamar Ben-Gvir declares that he will not budge from the flashpoint area.

One person is injured in fighting, which includes stones being thrown at a home owned by Arabs in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods, according to reports.

Unverified video shows phalanxes of police chasing suspected stone throwers and clearing streets.

המתיחות בשייח ג’ראח: הכוחות הוזנקו לאחר שאבנים הושלכו לעבר בתים של תושבים ערבים@SuleimanMas1 pic.twitter.com/QYPkJhMiJQ

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 14, 2022

https://twitter.com/PaliNewsBot/status/1493284589791494146

Right now in Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem, Israeli occupation forces assault the local residents. The Salim family, who have been the subject of abuses by settlers and settler officials, are facing imminent expulsion in March. #SaveSheikhJarrah #EthnicCleansing pic.twitter.com/VZTERi2Eoj

— Mohammed El-Kurd (@m7mdkurd) February 14, 2022

Ben-Gvir, who was forcibly removed on Sunday and has been blamed for stoking tensions, tells the media he is not leaving.

“It’s nice here and I’m staying,” he goads, his head covered in a bandage. “We own Israel. We own Jerusalem.”

He accuses the government of abandoning Jewish families who have moved into the predominantly Palestinians neighborhood, which has been at the center of tensions since last year, and says a plan put forward to help secure the neighborhood with more cameras, “is not serious.”

Clashes were touched off over the weekend following the firebombing of a Jewish home there.

“Unless there is security, I am not moving,” he declares. “If there is security, I’ll move on to my next thing.”