The MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed insights on the most significant developments in the MENA region, bringing together unique opinions on the topic and reliable foresight on future scenarios. Today, we focus on East Jerusalem, where protests over the expulsion of Palestinian families have ignited the most intense escalation between Israel and Palestine since 2014.
Following weeks of tension, the situation in East Jerusalem escalated as several Palestinian families risked being evicted from their homes in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The scheduled annual celebration of Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem — known as Jerusalem Day — provoked a harrowing confrontation between Palestinians and Israeli police forces in the religious compound around Al-Aqsa Mosque, in the Old City of Jerusalem, while a crucial court ruling on the fate of some Palestinian families living in the Sheikh Jarrah area was postponed due to the unrest. Over the last few days, Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets at several towns in Israel (including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheba) in retaliation for the clashes between Israeli police forces and Palestinians in Jerusalem. In response, Israel has carried out multiple air raids targeting Hamas’ facilities and leaders in Gaza. As the death toll soars on both sides, the ongoing escalation accounts for the most violent exchange between Israel and Hamas in years. The international community has called for both factions to de-escalate. On the one hand, the White House recognized the Israeli right to defense over the attacks whilst putting pressure on Tel Aviv over the treatment of Palestinians. On the other hand, reactions from the region were not unanimous. While countries such as Turkey and Jordan firmly condemned Israel’s behaviour, those who had previously normalized their relations with Israel in the “Abraham Accords” framework opted for less vocal stances. Despite international calls, the future of the escalation appears uncertain. As the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, warned, the situation is “escalating towards a full-scale war.”
Experts from the ISPI MED network react to the spiral of violence unfolding in Palestine and Israel.
