HUNDREDS OF Palestinians clashed with Israeli police in east Jerusalem yesterday as US envoy George Mitchell put off a trip to the region, leaving the future of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in doubt.
Throughout the day, gangs of Palestinian youths hurled rocks at Israeli police who were out in force in the Arab neighbourhoods in response to a “day of rage” declared by the Islamic Hamas.
Police turned back a number of buses carrying Israeli-Arab Muslims to Jerusalem to join the protests.
Some 90 protesters and 15 policemen were injured as the security forces used rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds.
More than 30 Palestinians were arrested in the most widespread disturbances in the capital in recent years. Despite the riots, Jerusalem’s police chief David Cohen stressed that the unrest did not herald the start of a new popular uprising.
Violent clashes also occurred at a number of locations in the West Bank. In Hamas-ruled Gaza, thousands took to the streets in solidarity rallies.
Hamas, supported by radical Islamic groups within Israel, planned the day of rage in protest at this week’s dedication of a restored ancient synagogue in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem’s old city, claiming the move was part of a plot to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque on the nearby Temple Mount.
Behind the rise in tension lies Israel’s decision last week to permit the construction of another 1,600 homes for religious Jews in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Ramat Shlomo.
The controversial decision not only sparked Palestinian anger but triggered what Israel’s ambassador to Washington described as the worst crisis in Israeli-US relations in 35 years.
What particularly angered the Americans was that the Israeli announcement not only coincided with the visit by vice-president Joe Biden, but came only days after Washington announced a breakthrough in the Middle East peace process, securing the agreement of the sides to begin indirect talks after a 15-month hiatus.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton set three conditions for prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to get the peace process back on track: cancel the new building plans for Jerusalem; make gestures to the Palestinians, and commit to discussing the substantive core issues when the peace talks get under way.
Yesterday, after Mr Netanyahu defiantly declared that the building in Jerusalem would go ahead, US envoy George Mitchell cancelled his planned trip to the region. The talks are now on hold.
If the Israeli decision to press ahead with building beyond the 1967 Green line took the Americans by surprise, the harsh American response left Israeli leaders shell-shocked.
Ill-timed Israeli decisions on settlement expansion are hardly something new. They have occurred with alarming regularity just before, during or just after previous visits by senior US officials. What is new this time is the administration’s refusal to accept Israel’s apology and turn a blind eye.
All Israeli governments place great importance on maintaining friendly ties with Washington, often described as Israel’s only true ally in the world. Today the relationship for Israel is more important than ever. Mr Netanyahu is aware of the necessity of moving in tandem with Washington to try to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear bomb.
On the other hand, he was elected on a mandate of maintaining a “united Jerusalem” as Israel’s “eternal indivisible capital”. Any concessions on Jerusalem could leave his largely right-wing, religious coalition in tatters.
The coming days will tell whether a formula can be found where the Netanyahu government can continue building in disputed areas of Jerusalem without damaging its all-important strategic partnership with America.