March 9, 2010

Jerusalem – Ma'an – Israeli Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem David Harari attempted to forcibly enter the Sheikh Jarrah home of Rifqa Al-Kurd on Tuesday morning, but was halted by a number of Jerusalemites, Fatah's Jerusalem affairs chief Hatem Abdul Qader said.

Reports from residents say Harari was in the area on a solidarity visit with the settlers, and was exploring the possibility of taking over part of the Al-Kurd home for an office.

Settlers took over one third of the Al-Kurd home last August, setting off a string of home invasions. As of February, nine homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood were occupied by Israeli settlers.

When Harari arrived to the home, Abdul Qader and half a dozen Jerusalemites blocked the path to the building. A verbal confrontation and a shoving match between border police and locals ensued, during which Harari was moved into one of the occupied homes, witnesses said.

Abdul Qader reportedly shouted at Harari, that if he moved his offices into the Sheikh Jarrah, Abdul Qader would do the same.

Rifqa Al-Kurd, 89, was transferred to the Maqased Hospital due to high blood pressure following the incident.

Residents said the neighborhood was under increased police patrol following confrontations Monday night, when Israeli police detained three Palestinians.

The attempted invasion came hours after Israeli border police detained three Sheikh Jarrah residents, International Solidarity Movement activists reported.

Residents confirmed, saying confrontations erupted when the settlers occupying Nasser Al-Ghawi's home crossed the street to where Al-Ghawi had set up a protest tent. ISM said the settlers took photographs of the Palestinians with him in the tent, and told those assembled that the would never leave the occupied home.

At the comments, the report said, scuffles broke out, and were broken up by police, called by the settler group, the ISM report said. Al-Ghawi was detained, then an hour later two teenagers from the Sabbagh and Tahar families in Wadi Joz were detained.

According to his wife, Al-Ghawi was arrested on charges of sexual harassment of a Jewish settler and inciting Palestinain children to throw stones at the occupied homes.

Speaking to the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights, Al-Ghawi's wife said "when they [soldiers] came to arrest him, he was praying. They waited a long time before he finished his prayer...I just don't see when this harassment occurred?"

Family members of the two young men later detained, said they were not involved in the scuffle. The teens were identified as Hani As-Sabbagh, 15, and Omar Taha, 16

Sabreen, the elder sister of Hani, said that "after the detention of Nasser Al-Ghawi the situation in the neighborhood became tense. Settlers told soldiers that my brother and his friend were part of the brawl that erupted after the detention of Al-Ghawi, but they were in the market buying headphones for their mobiles. They were detained in the street before reaching the house.' The witnesses in the area informed the family about the detention.