Clashes in Sheikh Jarrah as Jews move in, Arabs move out

Clashes erupted yesterday in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators, after a group of Jews announced their intention to move into a house in the neighborhood. The entry of the Jews into the home follows a court order ruling that the Arab al-Kurd family, which lives in a portion of the house, had no right to occupy an addition that they had built onto the house.

About 30 Arab demonstrators, who were joined by left-wing Israelis, began arriving at the Sheikh Jarrah home in the morning. This came in the wake of a court decision earlier in the week rejecting the al-Kurd family's petition seeking to prevent the Jews from moving into the building.

A violent protest erupted in the early afternoon, during which a young Jewish demonstrator sustained a head injury after a stone was thrown at him. He received first aid at the scene before being taken to Hadassah University Hospital on Mount Scopus in good condition. Five demonstrators - two Jews, two foreign citizens and one Arab - were arrested.

Forces from the police and the border police were deployed in the area throughout the day to maintain order. A group of young Jews arrived at the house and tried to enter the building with some equipment, prompting a group of demonstrators to block their path. Police intervened to enable the Jews to move items into the home, in accordance with the court order.

The attorney for the al-Kurd family, Salah Abu-Hussein, yesterday criticized the court's ruling, saying the decision to provide the Jews with the keys to the house is not legal. "The court ruled that Mrs. al-Kurd could not use the addition that she built onto the house," he said, "but it did not rule from the start that the Jews could live there."

The Jerusalem District Court is expected to hold a hearing today on an appeal filed by the al-Kurd family of the decision to allow the home to be occupied by Jews. The protests over the dispute are expected to continue near the Sheikh Jarrah home and in front of the courthouse. Senior Jerusalem police officials said yesterday that the court ruled that the house belongs to the Sephardic Community Committee and police on the scene were simply enforcing the court's determination that the Jews had the right to move into the home. Police are expected to be deployed there today as well to prevent violence at the scene.