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More than 70 Palestinians were injured in clashes with police at a Monday night funeral in Jerusalem, further enflaming already heightened tensions in the city.
Protesters and mourners gathered for the funeral of Walid al-Sharif, 23, who died Saturday of injuries he sustained during last month’s clashes with police at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque. Police say six officers were injured at Palestinians carried Sharif’s body past the mosque to a nearby cemetery.
Footage circulating on social media shows demonstrators throwing objects at Israeli police as officers cut off the end of the procession. Police later released a statement saying protesters threw “stones, bottles, bricks and other heavy objects” at officers, according to the Agence France Presse.
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Mourners carry the coffin of Palestinian, Waleed Shareef, 21, during his funeral at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, Monday, May 16, 2022. Shareef died Saturday from a head wound sustained last month after Israeli police fired rubber bullets at stone-throwing Palestinian demonstrators during violence at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, in Jerusalem’s Old City.
(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
The incident comes days after another clash between funeral-goers and police last week. The funeral was for veteran American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed covering protests in the West Bank.
Mourners insisted on carrying Akleh’s casket to a nearby Greek Orthodox church on foot, something Israeli police had sought to avoid. Officers had erected barricades in an effort to force mourners to transport Akleh’s body in a vehicle.
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It is unclear what caused violence to break out, but footage shows officers firing rubber bullets and throwing stun grenades at protesters. Police could also be seen striking pallbearers with batons.
Akleh was killed during a news report on May 10 under disputed circumstances. Israeli police say Akleh may have been killed by Palestinian crossfire after their forces came under attack.
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“It appears likely that armed Palestinians — who were indiscriminately firing at the time — were responsible,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.
Al-Jazeera, her employer, says she was murdered by police.
