Confrontations renewed on Friday evening between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police in Jaffa over a plan to demolish an ancient Muslim cemetery to build a Jewish shelter.
Israeli police forces blocked several roads and deployed in large numbers in the city while the angry protesters set trash cans on fire and launched fireworks local sources reported.
Tension has prevailed in Jaffa since last Monday when Israeli bulldozers escorted by the police began digging up graves in the cemetery which is known by the native citizens as “al-Is’af” graveyard in preparation for the construction of a Jewish shelter.
Earlier on Friday dozens of Palestinian residents of Jaffa gathered in a protest tent near al-Is’af graveyard for the Friday prayer which was led by al-Aqsa Mosque’s preacher Sheikh Ekrima Sabri.
The worshipers took to the streets after the prayer to protest the demolition of the cemetery and later in the evening confrontations intensified.
