At least three Palestinians were detained and two others injured today, when Israeli police violently dispersed dozens of nonviolent protesters who demonstrated at Damascus Gate plaza in occupied Jerusalem.
The protesters were demonstrating against insults made by colonial Israeli settlers against the Islamic Prophet Mohammad during last week’s notorious flag march, which marked the 54th anniversary of Israel’s occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem.
Witnesses said that Israeli police officers violently attacked the protesters, fired teargas canisters and stun grenades at them and assaulted many others using pepper gas. Cases of suffocation from gas inhalation were reported.
Police officers reportedly detained two Palestinian young men and a young woman, and took them to the Russian Compound in the city.
Meanwhile, hardcore Israeli settlers and police assaulted Palestinians’ homes in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Police also fired teargas canisters at Palestinians in the neighborhood.
Palestinians have held several protests against insulting Prophet Mohammad after an online video showed some of the hard-line Israeli participants in the Tuesday march verbally assaulting him.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency