Move by Jewish settlers sparks unrest

JEWISH settlers with assault rifles slung over their shoulders moved into two buildings in a crowded Arab neighbourhood of Jerusalem yesterday, setting off clashes between Israeli troops and Arab residents.

Palestinians, who claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, said the incident showed Israel was more interested in expanding settlements than in making peace. The settlers said they want to re-establish a Jewish presence in the neighbourhood.

Israel says it will never relinquish the sector of the city it captured from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war. In recent years, hawkish Jewish groups, with the backing of hardline governments and foreign investors, have bought several properties in east Jerusalem to strengthen Israel's hold there.

At daybreak yesterday, a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews lugged boxes, chairs, tables and potted plants into buildings in the Silwan neighbourhood of east Jerusalem. A van packed with sofas and couches arrived, and settlers hauled a water tank onto the roof of one building and set up a generator.

Settlers said eight families are to move into the buildings a seven-story apartment building and a smaller house which investors bought for them. The Arab owner of the smaller house said his property was seized unlawfully.

After settlers moved into the two buildings, clashes erupted in a narrow alley. Palestinian residents began throwing stones from rooftops.

Police and soldiers commandeered three nearby buildings, stationing themselves on rooftops and firing tear gas at the demonstrators. Troops also entered four other Palestinian homes, pulling young men out. Police beat one Palestinian man with a baton and handcuffed six others, dragging them away.

Nine Palestinians were arrested for stone-throwing, and six police officers were hurt, police said. At least three Palestinians were seen bleeding.

The settlers said they were members of the Committee for the Renewal of the Yemenite Village in Shiloah Shiloah is Hebrew for Silwan and that their aim was to re-establish a Jewish presence in the neighbourhood.

Daniel Luria, a spokesman for the committee, said a community of Jews from Yemen had been established in the area 122 years ago. In 1938, the last of the families were forced to leave during Arab riots, he said.

"Sixty-six years later we have returned Jewish families to the area with the idea of living side-by-side with the Arabs," Mr Luria said, adding that three of the eight families are of Yemenite heritage so "it's really closing a circle".

Ariel Sharon adviser Roan Gissin said the Jewish group had the right to live where it wanted in the city.

"There are no Jerusalem settlements ... all of Jerusalem is under Israeli sovereignty since 1967," he said. "It is not so-called occupied land."

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat blamed Israel's government for supporting settlers.

"(The settlers) have taken the law into their own hands before; they are taking the law into their hands now with the assistance of the government," he said.