ISRAELI FORCES DETAIN 3 AT NAKSA DAY PROTEST IN EAST AL QUDS

Al-Quds, 19 Sya’ban 1436/6 June 2015 (MINA) – Israeli forces on Friday detained a Palestinian and two international activists during a Naksa Day protest in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, witnesses said.

Residents and international activists were protesting Israeli settlement activity and commemorating the 48th anniversary of the Six-Day War, which began on June 5, 1967 — a day referred to by Palestinians as the Naksa, meaning setback.

Witnesses said the protesters marched toward homes that have been taken over by Israeli settlers in the neighborhood, Maan News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The Palestinian detained was identified as Salih Diab.

Palestinians annually commemorate the Israeli invasion of the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai, and the Golan Heights in 1967 that led to the flight of around 300,000 Palestinians from their homes, as well as thousands of Syrians.

Friday also saw dozens of Palestinians participate in a rally in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound marking Naksa Day, as well as offering support to Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike.

Naksa Day represents the beginning of the Israeli military occupation and the settlement enterprise in the Palestinian territories, which has involved the dispossession of tens of thousands of Palestinians from their land in order to construct settlement homes exclusively for Jews.

Occupied East Jerusalem has in particular suffered the Israeli policy of “Judaization” in the years since 1967, with the Israeli authorities constructing Jewish settlements and demolishing Palestinian homes.

The Israeli government does not recognize East Jerusalem as occupied territory, referring to the whole city as its “unified capital,” in contravention of international law. (T/P010/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)