New Evictions of Arab Families Part of Battle for Jerusalem
BY KARIN LAUB
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JERUSALEM (AP) -- On a recent morning, at a time of soaring Israeli-Palestinian tensions and massive police deployment in Jerusalem, security forces carried out an eviction order: Troops sealed off parts of the Arab neighborhood of Silwan and removed two families from their apartments to allow the entry of Jews named by a court as the rightful owners.
The evictions are part of a house-by-house battle waged by Jewish settler groups - at times with government support - to expand their presence in Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem's ancient heart, an area the Palestinians seek as the core of a future capital.
Settler-driven displacement ranks high on a list of grievances linked to Israeli rule that Palestinians say helped spark the recent rash of attacks on Israelis, most of them stabbings. Israel mostly blames what it calls Palestinian incitement to violence.
Since mid-September, 10 Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks, while 48 Palestinians - including 27 labeled by Israel as attackers - were shot dead by Israelis.
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