15 arrested protesting Jewish takeover of East Jerusalem

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Hundreds of left-wing activists, including several prominent politicians, protested in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem on Friday.

The protest has become a weekly event in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, held to protest a Jewish takeover of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem through the use of ownership documents dating from the period of the British mandate in Palestine.

Amongst the protestors on Friday were leftist leaders such as Hadash chairman MK Mohammed Barakeh, former Meretz chairman Yossi Sarid and former MK Avraham Burg.

Before the protest began, police notified demonstrators that the protest was considered illegal. They began attempting to scatter the activists while arresting some of them.

Police have arrested 15 left-wing activists thus far.

During the protest, a confrontation began between Palestinians and Jewish settlers in the neighborhood. One Palestinian was injured after being hit in the head with a stone. He was taken for medical treatment by a Palestinian ambulance.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1144501.html

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1. Court rules Sheikh Jarrah protests legal

Jerusalem Magistrate's Court rejects police demand to extend remand of 'unruly' leftist protestors; judge says freedom of assembly, expression is basic right which police must protect

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3841189,00.html

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"The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ruled Thursday that leftist demonstrations in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah are not illegal as claimed by the police.

The ruling was issued during a court hearing to discuss the indictments filed against 18 protestors who were arrested in Sheikh Jarrah last Friday, after demonstrating against Jewish settlers who took over houses in the Arab neighborhood.

Justice Gad Erenberg also rejected the police's request to extend the remand of those arrested for disorderly conduct until the end of legal proceedings, but banned the defendants from taking part in any gathering or demonstrations in Sheikh Jarrah until the end of the proceedings.

The police claimed that the demonstrators were acting in an unruly fashion and that authorities had evidence and photographs to prove their claims. The protestors, on the other hand, said that they were not required to have a permit in order to hold their gathering, and therefore the police had no reason to disperse them."