Photo Credit: MK Itamar Ben Gvir / Twitter
Knesset Member Itamar Ben Gvir sets up his office in the torched home of a Jewish family in Jerusalem's Shimon Hatzaddik neighborhood, Feb. 13, 2022

Tensions are rising again in Jerusalem’s Shimon Hatzaddik (Sheikh Jarrah in Arabic) neighborhood, with an arson attack against a Jewish home taking place there late Friday night, and an alleged ramming attack and rock-throwing attacks the night after.

Advertisement


Miraculously, there were no injuries in the arson attack: the Yoshvayev family was not home at the time. Firefighters found the remains of several Molotov cocktails (firebombs) that were apparently used to destroy the home.

Their badly damaged home is not the only property the family has lost to terrorists: their car has been set ablaze nine times in recent months.

Arab Driver Runs Over Jewish Man in Jerusalem

The driver involved in the ramming attack Friday night claimed he was maced with pepper spray by Jewish rioters in the neighborhood and said he hit the 20-year-old victim while trying to flee. A second 20-year-old Jewish man sustained a head injury from a rock thrown at him by Arab attackers.

However, five people were hurt in Saturday night’s terrorist ramming attack, also in the neighborhood. The driver of the vehicle managed to escape but was captured by police within a short time later.

In response to the attacks, right-wing Otzma Yehudi MK Itamar Ben Gvir announced Saturday night that he would set up a parliamentary bureau in the yard of the Yoshvayev family and stay until the family is provided with 24/7 security.

“By some miracle the family wasn’t home this weekend,” Ben Gvir tweeted. “Where are you, protectors of human rights? Where are the Israel Police and the failing police chief? Why are you waiting until disaster happens? The lives of Jews have become worthless!”

In a follow up, Ben Gvir added, “If terrorists want to burn a Jewish family alive and there are no police, I will come to the place.”

Riots broke out overnight again Saturday night in the neighborhood after his announcement, with dozens of Arabs hurling rocks at Jewish civilians and Israeli security forces.

Eight arrests were made for public disorder, menacing passersby and hurling stones. At least two civilians were taken to hospitals for medical treatment.

More riots took place during the day Sunday as Ben Gvir established his office in the Jerusalem neighborhood, with two people arrested for public disorder. Police said they were bracing for more violence Sunday night.

But the riots are also being sparked in part by the terrorists’ determination to express solidarity with a three-man terror cell eliminated last week in a joint operation by the Shin Bet, Israel Police and the IDF.

The dead terrorists were members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades military wing of Fatah, the leading faction in the Palestinian Authority, who had each carried out multiple attacks against Israelis. Both Fatah and the PA itself are led by Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas Warns Israel Over Jerusalem Neighborhood
Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorist organization, backed by Iran, warned Sunday in a statement that Israel is “playing with fire” by allowing Ben Gvir to set up his office in the neighborhood.

“These acts could cause an explosion,” the Hamas statement said. “The attack by bands of settlers led by Ben Gvir against our people in the middle of the night is brazen aggression. It is playing with fire in Jerusalem, for which all of Palestine may ignite,” Hamas warned, and called on Arabs in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem to “mobilize for the people of Sheikh Jarrah.”

The allied Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group, also backed by Iran, likewise issued a statement, calling for a “day of rage” in response to Ben Gvir’s actions.

Ben Gvir later tweeted an invitation for Israelis to join him in the neighborhood from 4 pm through the evening hours to “strengthen the Jewish residents. Do not be afraid of Hamas threats!” he urged.

The neighborhood has been an incubator for tensions over Arab terrorism against Jews for years, however.

On December 8, 2021, an Israeli mother who was walking in the streets of the neighborhood with her three small children was stabbed and wounded by an Arab terrorist from Sheikh Jarrah.

The mother, Moriah Cohen, was in her mid-20s. She was taken to a hospital in Jerusalem with the 12-inch knife still stuck in her body. The terrorist – a female — fled the scene, and the police launched a manhunt for her and tracked her down to a nearby girl’s school. Massive forces entered the compound and arrested the suspect.

May 2021 War with Hamas Born in Sheikh Jarrah
This past year those tensions were further exacerbated with the decision by Israel’s Supreme Court that Jewish owners of property in the neighborhood had the right to evict Arab tenants who had paid no rent for years.

Jordanian Document Proves Jerusalem’s Disputed Sheikh Jarrah Properties Are Jewish-Owned

The four Arab families involved in the case rejected a compromise that was offered in November by Israel’s High Court of Justice that would have solved their dispute with the Jewish-owned Nahalat Shimon Company.

That decision was one of the stated reasons for the decision by Hamas last May to launch its mini-war against Israel, beginning with a mid-range missile attack on the Israeli capital while residents and visitors were celebrating the reunification of Jerusalem in the center of town. The rocket fire sparked an 11-day war with Hamas.

Advertisement
SHARE
Previous articleJewish Institutions Should NOT Hire anti-Semites
Next articleIsraeli Airlines Add Flights from Ukraine, Intl Insurance Companies Suspend Coverage
Hana Levi Julian
Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.