Background
• In the week between May 1 and May 7, Palestinians started protesting against an incoming
Israeli Supreme Court decision, expected to evict six Palestinian refugee families residing in
Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. The move framed by Israeli officials as a
petty real estate dispute is regarded by Palestinians as part of systematic Israeli efforts to
remove thousands of Palestinians from East Jerusalem.
• On May 9, the Israeli Supreme Court delayed decision on expulsion of Palestinian settlers
after the immense attention the issue received. This was part of measures to defuse tensions.
• On May 10, violence intensified after Israeli security forces raided al-Aqsa mosque while
many worshippers prayed, firing stun grenades, tear gas and rubber-coated metal rounds.
Three hundred Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police while the latter reported
21 officers were hurt in the skirmishes. The upsurge in violence came as Israel celebrated
“Jerusalem Day”, marking its capture of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
• On May 10, Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida demanded Israel to withdraw its forces from
the Al-Aqsa mosque and release all detained Palestinians until 6 pm or 3 pm GMT. After the
first rocket landed in the western part of Jerusalem in the face of missed deadline, he further
threatened with more attacks if Israel sent more security forces into the mosque and continued
with eviction of families from Sheikh Jarrah.
• Since May 11, militants in Gaza fire rockets targeting Israeli cities, mainly Tel Aviv and
Ashkelon, while the Israeli Air Force conduct air operations on targets in Gaza.
• As of May 17, Hamas has fired more than 3200 rockets into Israel, whereas Israel Air Force
has conducted hundreds of airstrikes. As of May 16, the total number of Palestinians killed in
Israeli airstrikes amounted to at least 197. The number of Israeli residents killed rose to 11 in
the same timeframe.
Analysis
a. Political Background
Eastern Jerusalem and the latest escalation of violence between the current Israeli government and
Hamas has moved from fringes to the epicenter of international attention. The escalation comes at a
critical juncture in time.
As regards Israel, the political alliance formed by a wide spectrum of parties running the gamut from
left- to right-wing had been trying to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the last two years
in four inconclusive elections. At a time when the alliance was so close to end 12-year Netenyahu
hegemony in Israeli politics, this final escalation extended the lifeline the premier needed to stay in
power. Naftali Bennett, head of pro-settler Yamina party and a key figure in the effort to oust
Netanyahu to become prime minister of the alliance, was the first figure to restart negotiations with
Netanyahu's Likud Party. With this latest escalation, Netanyahu has been able to weather the political
challenge he faced.
