Israeli police pins a Palestinian resident of Sheikh Jarrah to the ground during a vigil against the upcoming evictions in the neighborhood, May 4, 2021. (Oren Ziv)
Every night for the past week, young Palestinians have been gathering in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to protest the imminent forced eviction of local Palestinian families. The youth break their Ramadan fast together, sing, and come together in a show of solidarity with the neighborhood’s residents.
Israeli police have attempted to disperse these demonstrations using disproportionate force, including stun grenades and the Skunk, a vehicle that shoots putrid liquid at high velocity. On Tuesday, that violence peaked when officers arrested three protesters, including Mahmoud El-Kurd, whose family is facing displacement. Another protester, who was pinned to the ground as an officer kneeled on his neck, was bleeding when police detained him; he was later taken to hospital while still under arrest.