BICOM

Clashes took place between Israeli security forces and locals in several Arab neighbourhoods in Jerusalem during the solemn Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

The most serious incident took place on Tuesday evening in Silwan in East Jerusalem, where Israeli Border Police were attacked with rocks and firebombs. Assessing that their lives were in danger, police opened fire, killing 20-year-old Ali Shiokhi.

A statement from Jerusalem Police said: “The officers, whose lives were endangered by the masked men, fired at them.”

Hamas claimed that Shiokhi was a member of the terror group. He was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment in 2014 for rock throwing and participation in riots.

Israel Radio news says that rocks and firebombs continued to be thrown in Silwan last night at Border Police, who made five arrests.

Meanwhile, clashes also took place over Yom Kippur in the Arab neighbourhoods of Isawiya and Jabel Mukabeer. In Isawiya, police blocked the main road after rocks were thrown at the road between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim.

In addition, a firebomb was thrown yesterday at the Ofrit base near Mount Scopus in Jerusalem. Locals threw rocks at a police vehicle in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina. A soldier was also lightly wounded by stones thrown near the settlement of Beit El in the West Bank.

On Tuesday, an IDF patrol came under fire in the West Bank, close to Na’alin near Ramallah. Soldiers returned fire and eventually a number of arrests were made in connection with the incident.

On the same day it was announced that the Shin Bet earlier this month arrested a Hamas operative planning a bus bombing in Jerusalem.

Extra police were deployed in Jerusalem during the Yom Kippur holiday, which began on Tuesday evening and ended yesterday evening. During the same period, there was a closure of movement in Palestinian areas of the West Bank. Tensions, which are often high around major Jewish holidays, were heightened after a shooting attack in Jerusalem on Sunday killed two Israelis.