Protests continue to rage throughout the weekend in both the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with Palestinians out in force demonstrating against President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Friday’s protests were by far the biggest, but over the weekend, peaceful demonstrations were held in several places, and Israeli forces were on hand to violently crack down, firing stun grenades and charging the crowds on horseback.
On top of the hundreds wounded Friday, another 12 were reported injured on Saturday in East Jerusalem. 13 Palestinians were also detained for protesting, including Jihad Abu Zneid, a Palestinian MP.
Israeli security officials said none of the Palestinians had permits to protest publicly, and that this was the reason they were out in force, blocking marches and pushing around crowds of angry demonstrators.
Israel was fairly quick to brand all Palestinian protests “rioting” when the large crowds started showing up Friday, and that label has stuck in much of the Israeli press, leading Israeli political officials to encourage further crackdowns in the name of public safety.
This sort of crackdown, of course, tends to provoke more protests, but with unrest still soaring over Trump’s Wednesday declaration, more protests are likely to be seen for the foreseeable future either way.
… A permit? All the violence of the Intifadas could have been avoided if someone had just thought to get a permit?