Heavy Clashes in Silwan Prior to Nakba Day
At a couple of days prior to the commemoration of the Nakba by the Arab population in Israel, many neighborhoods in Jerusalem and the West Bank are the scenario of heavy clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli police forces; this time not just for the cameras.
Today, Friday 13th, the Silwan village witnessed the presence of more then 50 rock-throwers against more then 80 soldiers. The numbers are much higher then the usual friday riots. There was heavy use of tear-gas and stun grenades by one side and stones, molotov and small rockets (firework-like) by the other.
The events might escalate into a tenser situation approaching the day of Nakba commemoration, on Sunday, which was also set by some as the date for starting a third intifada. A page on Facebook related to this event had hundreds of thousands of subscriptions before being removed by the server.
A Palestinian boy burns the Israeli flag in sign of protest during the riots
and another one..
Palestinian protesters shelter behind a door during the riots
Palestinians run from the tear-gas grenades shot by the police forces
Palestinians igniting a small rocket aimed against the police forces
...and firing it
Palestinians celebrate after pushing back some Israeli police forces
Behind the scenes: the photographer perspective.
Here is some footage I shot while photographing the riots.
The clashes between the police and the palestinians were heavy, and a couple of stun grenades blew up right next to me and cracked the window of a shop about 3 meters away. You can see the effects on the window at the end of the video.
Available in HD
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