Jerusalem —(Map)
Disagreements in Jerusalem have exploded into a battle between Israel and Palestinians. Though many outside countries are encouraging an end to the violence, so far, both sides say they will keep fighting.
Small clashes late last week between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police have now turned into a deadly battle. Palestinians have been firing rockets at Israel, and Israel has launched deadly attacks on Palestinians.
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Small clashes last week between Palestinians and Israeli police have now turned into a deadly battle. Palestinians have been firing rockets at Israel, and Israel has launched deadly attacks on Palestinians. Above, smoke rises after Israeli attacks on Gaza City.
The problems in and around Israel are very old. Most of the problems are about religion and land. Jerusalem is a holy city to three different religious groups: Jews, Muslims, and Christians.
Israel and the Palestinians
The area where Israel is now used to be called “Palestine”. Both Jewish people and Palestinians (the local Arab people) lived in the area, and believed the land belonged to them.
In its short history, Israel has had many disagreements with many of its neighbors. It has also had several wars. During these wars, Israel took control of large areas of land, including all of Jerusalem, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians without a home.
Since then, Israel and Arab countries have disagreed about what land should be given to the Palestinians, and what should happen with the land that Israel took control of.
(Source: Andrew Shiva, via Wikipedia.)
Though Israel calls Jerusalem its capital, most countries don’t agree. They think Jerusalem is too important to too many people for it to belong to just one country. Palestinians also believe that Jerusalem is their capital. They don’t like the idea of their holy city being under the control of a country with a different religion.
These tensions have been going on for years. In recent weeks, things have gotten much more tense.
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One reason for the tension is that an Israeli group is trying to force out Palestinian families living in an area called Sheikh Jarrah. Thousands of Palestinians have been protesting against this (above) and clashing with Israeli police.
One reason for the tension is that an Israeli group is trying to force out Palestinian families living in an area called Sheikh Jarrah. Thousands of Palestinians have been protesting against this and clashing with Israeli police. Israel’s Supreme Court was about to decide if the Palestinians will be forced to move. Now, the decision has been delayed.
A second trigger for the violence was Israel’s Jerusalem Day. Every year, Israel celebrates the day it took control of East Jerusalem. Normally the Jerusalem Day parade cuts through an area where Palestinians live. Because of the high tensions, this year’s parade was canceled.
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Every year, Israel celebrates the day it took control of East Jerusalem. Normally the Jerusalem Day parade cuts through an area where Palestinians live. Because of the tensions, this year’s parade was canceled. Above, part of this year’s Jerusalem Day events.
The biggest cause of the violence is religion. The Palestinians are Muslim, and most Israelis are Jewish. For the Palestinians, this was the last week of Ramadan – a holy month for Muslims.
Events got worse quickly on Monday after Israeli police attacked the al-Aqsa Mosque. The mosque is Islam’s third-holiest spot. The area around the mosque is the most holy spot for Jewish people.
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Events got worse quickly on Monday after Israeli police attacked the al-Aqsa Mosque. The mosque is Islam’s third-holiest spot. The area around the mosque is the most holy spot for Jewish people. Above, tear gas used by police near the mosque.
Hundreds of Palestinians were in the mosque. Some had been throwing rocks into a nearby road where Israelis were praying. Israeli police attacked the mosque with small explosions, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Hundreds of Palestinians were injured.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas demanded that Israeli police pull out of the area around al-Aqsa Mosque.
When that didn’t happen, militants in Gaza fired hundreds of rockets at Israel. Gaza is an area of Palestinian land controlled by Hamas. Most of the rockets were stopped by Israel’s defense system. In response, Israel attacked Palestinians in Gaza, firing weapons from planes.
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Militants in Gaza fired hundreds of rockets at Israel (left). Most of the rockets were stopped by Israel’s defense system (right). In response, Israel attacked Palestinians in Gaza, firing weapons from planes.
On Tuesday night, more rockets were fired from Gaza, and Israel followed up with more attacks from airplanes. So far, 28 Palestinians and 2 Israelis have been killed. Many of those who died weren’t soldiers.
Countries around the world have encouraged the two sides to stop fighting. So far both sides seem determined to continue. Many people are worried that the fighting could soon turn even more serious.
Note: This article attempts to explain the background for this event in simple terms. It’s a good idea to keep in mind that these issues are extremely complicated, and there are many important points that haven’t been covered here.
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