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Sheikh Jarrah heats up.

In yesterday's Middle East Peace Report, I provided coverage of the manner in which Israel's police interfered with a perfectly legal (and sensible) demonstration against the settler take-over of homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah:

Cracking Down? Part II: Israeli police overstepped its bounds when they arrested 17 activists at a demonstration Friday against the settler take-over of homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
 
The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ordered the activists released unconditionally after determining that the rally was legal and that the activists were arrested without cause.
 
Haaretz devoted its editorial to the incident on Monday, slamming the police for infringing on free speech in Israel.
 
"The activists have been protesting in Sheikh Jarrah every Friday for the past three months against the takeover of Palestinians' homes by settler and far-right organizations. Not only do they have every right to do so, it is their civic duty as people concerned about events in the capital," the editorial argued.
 
"The arrest of the protesters for no reason creates the suspicion that the police have had enough of these demonstrations," Haaretz added. "It also shows that the police discriminate between demonstrators from the right and left. While right-wing activists run amok in the West Bank to protest against the construction freeze and are almost never arrested, civil-rights demonstrators are being detained in increasing numbers." (Haaretz, 1/17 & 1/18/10)

Today, Peace Now announced that it will once again demonstrate in Sheikh Jarrah this Friday. (Click here for a post about a past demonstration by Peace Now at the site).

This demonstration is important. The take-over of residential properties in this area is a threat to peace for Israel. It not only escalates tensions between Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem, it also jeopardizes the viability of a two-state solution.