Jerusalem violence puts strain on Israel’s coalition government

JERUSALEM, April 17 (Reuters) – Clashes in Jerusalem which have stoked tensions throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan unfold into Sunday, triggering 18 arrests and placing additional pressure on Israel’s coalition authorities.

Israeli riot police confronted off with fireworks-hurling Palestinians within the alleyways of the walled Previous Metropolis after a go to by Jews to a disputed holy website.

A number of passengers on two buses have been frivolously wounded when stone-throwing Palestinians smashed the autos’ home windows. And a small group of Jewish worshippers was attacked.

Sunday’s confrontations have been much less violent than clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound two days earlier, however they have been sufficient to immediate a small however pivotal Arab get together to evaluation its membership in Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s ruling coalition, which now not has a majority in parliament.

The United Arab Listing – the primary get together drawn from the nation’s 21% Arab minority to affix an Israeli authorities – mentioned it was suspending its authorities membership over Israel’s dealing with of the Al-Aqsa violence and would take into account formally resigning if issues didn’t change.

Bennett’s coalition controls 60 of 120 seats in parliament, together with 4 from the United Arab Listing.

Some political commentators mentioned the announcement was a symbolic gesture to take strain off get together leaders throughout the disaster and it may very well be resolved by the point parliament reconvenes subsequent month.

The Previous Metropolis lies in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in a 1967 warfare and which Palestinians search to make the capital of a future state.

Tensions over Jerusalem fanned an 11-day warfare final Might between Israel and Hamas Islamist militants within the Gaza Strip.

Bennett misplaced his razor-thin parliamentary majority this month after a lawmaker from his nationalist get together stop. learn extra

(This story has been refiled to repair grammar in first paragraph)

Writing by Dan Williams
Enhancing by Helen Popper and Nick Macfie

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Rules.