Israeli police say they will arrest hundreds of Palestinians living in Israel over the coming days for their participation in uprisings in support of thirteen Palestinian families set to be evicted from East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.
In a statement, Israeli police say Operation Law and Order will bring alleged criminals to justice after demonstrations which sparked 11 days of intense fighting between Israel’s defence forces and Palestinian armed group Hamas.
A ceasefire ended fighting over the weekend, but Palestinian activists have called the wave of arrests a ‘war declaration’ and say the move is merely Israel taking advantage of their militarised police force to intimidate the Palestinian population and settle the score.