Attacks on Palestinians Increase Tensions in East Jerusalem

Palestinian properties in Burin village set on fire by Israeli settlers, May 4, 2021. | Photo: Twitter/ @HoyPalestina

On Tuesday, outlet Palestina Hoy denounced that Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian land in the village of Buirin, in Nablus. This came just hours after another group of Israeli settlers hurled stones at Palestinian homes in the village of Qusra, south of the occupied city of Naplus.

According to the testimony of Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors Israeli settlement activities in the northern West Bank, the villagers were able to defend themselves from the aggression.

He also reported that Israeli soldiers repressed Palestinians in the Nablus district where 11 people were arrested. There, Israeli settlers also raided the lands of the villagers and set them on fire.

Israel "demolishes Palestinian homes and structures almost daily as a means of achieving 'demographic control' of the occupied territories," recalled the WAFA agency.

Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday expressed his concern over rising tensions in East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

"We are convinced of the need to de-escalate tensions as soon as possible, which is in the interests of both Palestinians and Israelis," Lavrov said at a joint press conference with his Palestinian counterpart, Riyadh al-Maliki, in Moscow.

These statements follow several days of Palestinian protests in the vicinity of the Old City of Jerusalem that were accompanied by demonstrations in Gaza and the West Bank and clashes with Israeli police forces in late April.

Moscow considers it important to organize a meeting between representatives of the United Nations, the United States, Russia, and the European Union to restart efforts for the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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