Unrest simmered in East Jerusalem, Gaza and in the principle West Bank towns over the weekend but the presence of Israeli troops prevented demonstrations, mainly by Arab youngsters, from erupting into serious disorders. Twenty-seven Arab youths were arrested, 10 of them in East Jerusalem and the rest in Ramallah. An Israeli bus driver was slightly injured in Gaza where school boys and girls stoned passing vehicles yesterday.
About fifty Arab youths carrying small Jordanian flags marched through East Jerusalem where leaflets were distributed Friday calling for a general strike and demonstrations. But all Arab shops were open yesterday and only a few schools were closed. Shops also stayed open in Tulkarem but schools were closed there and in Jenin. A demonstration by Tulkarem students was averted when police fired warning shots in to the air.
In Nablus, the largest West Bank town, with a population of 80,000, police sealed off the old quarter, scene of disturbances for the past week. A business stoppage there went into its seventh day. Youths waving banners and portraits of El Fatah leader Yassir Yarafat paraded through the Casbah but no arrests were made.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.