Refugee camp reels from Israeli crackdown

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titis patient with diabeAlready cut off from tes who gave only her first the city, restrictions name, hadn't received an insulin injection in five days. lead to anger, unrest "couldn't leave my house By Isabel Debre because of the gas," she said. Associated Press Many families stayed inside as tear gas veiled the JERUSALEM — A line camp.

But thousands rushed of cars snaked through the into the streets to confront garbage-strewn streets of Israeli security forces in the Shuafat refugee camp in what residents described as east Jerusalem, as Palestinthe worst clashes in recent Israeli forces memory. ians waited to pass an Israeli checkpoint. unleashed rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear Alaa Gharab was sunk down behind the steering gas on young men hurling wheel at an intersection stones and firebombs. that resembled a ragged "It was the first time I've war zone, littered with burnt scen that kind of violence in the camp," said Mohammed tires, gutted appliances and Salah, 32. the charred carcass of a car.

It was the first time she On Wednesday night, could leave the camp since clashes spread across east Oct.

8, when a Palestinian Jerusalem neighborhoods. gunman fired at the checkThe surging tensions in Jerusalem come as violence point from close range, killrises across the West Bank, ing a 19-year-old female where more than 120 PalesIsraeli soldier and severely wounding a security guard tinians have been killed so far in 2022 - the deadliest before disappearing toward round of fighting in seven years.

The attack prompted Israeli police arrest a Palestinian during clashes Wednesday in Shuafat in east Jerusalem. MAHMOUD ILLEAN/AP a large-scale and ongoConfrontations have controlled. When Israeli But to camp residents, it ing manhunt.

As part of escalated since a series of part of the camp, providing salem's holy sites, taking in far-flung Palestinian villages the search, Israeli security educational and sanitation Palestinian attacks killed 19 security forces escalated searches at the main Shunfat forces choked off the camp's cople in Israel last spring like Shuafat and the adjacent felt like a sielike being in prison," said 14-year-old srael says most of the Omar Sarhan, a shop refugee camp.

At the time, entry and exit points, bringcheckpoint, residents said it Sadeen Rajabi, who stayed upended their lives. Patients Palestinians killed have been ing life to a standstill for its the camp had just a few home from school for the couldn't reach Israeli hospithousand residents. shelves on Thursday for the militants.

But stone-throwestimated 60,000 residents. week because of the diffiAnger has been building first time in a week, said the tals because of hourslong ing youths protesting the The restrictions set off incursions and others uninacross the Israeli-annexed an explosion of anger in camp feels cut off from the waits.

Ambulances idled in culty of crossing and her Palestinian neighborhoods volved in clashes have also sector of the city, where parents fears for her safety. snarled traffic. Deliveries of many Palestinians say they Even in normal times, "We do not feel we're in across the city, Palestinian been killed. food and medicine stopped.

Shuafat is a lawless slum full feel abandoned by Israel. Jerusalem," he said.

"We Palestinians want the shops shuttered in protest Most of the camp's 15,000 Residents complain of home children missed school. by day and crowds of young of smoldering garbage heaps occupied West Bank and have nothing.". because it lacks municmen skirmished with Israeli Residents shared stories demolitions and the near Gaza as territories for their Water and electricity troops by night - the fierefuture state, with east Jeruimpossibility of obtaining of desperation.

"Yes, the attacker is from Sewer services are unrelisalem as their capital. But falls within the Jerusalem Israeli building permits est unrest in months. Palestinian residents of municipal limits, but outside adjacent to the Shuafat "No one could go to work, the camp, but why are tens able.

Roads are potholed. go to the hospital, get food, There's virtually no garbage of thousands of people held refugee camp and other Jerusalem the separation barrier that accountable?" said Hassan Palestinian enclaves in go out," Gharab, a 24-yearIsrael says it built to stem pickup.

High-rise apartmunicipal taxes but receive militant attacks from the a fraction of the services that offiments, some over 10 stories old nurse, said from her car Jerusalem, Israel has built Alegum, a health "Everyone was cial who reported that 50 Jewish settlement homes Jewish residents do. tall, are built so close occupied West Bank.

Palestogether in some areas as The feeling of being in patients with kidney disease for some 220,000 people. scared.

Everything stopped." tinians have decried the barrier, which often slices to be a fire hazard, Israeli recently missed their dialylimbo is perhaps no more Israel's police said Friday The restrictions eased through communities, as a acute than in the Shuafat it was calling up reserve sis appointments at Isracli on Thursday, allowing food police rarely enter to crack camp, one of several Palesand supplies to enter and hospitals. units of the border police down on surging crime. land grab. tinian neighborhoods that residents to return to work After the 1967 Middle Dr.

Saeed Salameh said his The road into the rest of a paramilitary force known East war, Israel annexed the Jerusalem is both a lifeline medical center was flooded for using tough tactics to are formally part of Jeruin the city.

But the outrage eastern, Palestinian-popuwas undimmed in Jerusasalem, but are on the "West and a potential chokepoint. with requests to help quell Palestinian unrest. patients who couldn't make Bank side" of the separaMost residents have perma"The fighters will conlated half of Jerusalem and len's only refugee camp—a it to hospitals. The clinic tion barrier.

The Palestinian nent residency in the city, tinue to act with a heavy neighborhood long left in a declared the entire city its Authority, which exercises meaning they have freedom hand, using all advanced vacuum of governance. capital in a move not recogoffered painkillers until it Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, limited control in parts of of movement, unlike West nized internationally.

The ran out of IVs. Then it was means against violators of the West Bank, has no jurisBank Palestinians who need a Jerusalem deputy mayor, public order," said Amir Cogovernment expanded the struck by tear gas canisters and forced to close. described the closures as a hen, the commander of the diction. The U.N. agency for municipal limits far past special entry permits.

But the access is strictly Palestinian refugees runs the Old City, home to JeruHiba, a 50-year-old hepaborder police.

Cite this item

"Refugee camp reels from Israeli crackdown," The Orlando Sentinel, 16 October 2022. Covering Palestine archive, CP-2022-055. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-2022-055