Tension soars after clashes, arrests in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM: Tension soared in east Jerusalem Sunday as stone-throwing Palestinians and police clashed ahead of a funeral for a Palestinian man who was shot dead by police as he fled on foot from what Israeli authorities branded a “terror attack.” Palestinian political groups called for a march from the restive east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan to the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound starting at 17:00 p.m. (1500 GMT). Tensions rose ahead of Sunday night’s funeral for Abdelrahman Shaludi. Israeli authorities only allowed 20 mourners to attend and they have had to submit their names to police in advance. Police said at least five Palestinians were arrested late Saturday as nightly clashes continued across Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. Tensions were further stoked after the army on Friday shot dead a West Bank teenager who Israeli authorities said had been about to hurl a petrol bomb at Israeli motorists near Ramallah. Relatives of the dead 14-year-old, Orwa Hammad, said his funeral would also take place on Sunday, to allow his father time to travel from the United States where he is a resident citizen. Hammad was also a US national. Washington has urged “all parties to help restore calm and avoid escalating tensions in the wake of the tragic recent incidents in Jerusalem and the West Bank.”   AGENCIES