Jews living in East Jerusalem have come under increased violence by Palestinians over the month of July, according to new figures released on Monday.
More than 360 violent assaults on Jews in the East Jerusalem, including the Old City, were recorded. This number is almost double the number of violent attacks in the same period in 2013.
Majority of the incidents involved stone throwing attacks by youth, hurling Molotov cocktails at Jews living in predominantly Palestinian areas, or rioters setting off firecrackers near Jewish institutions.
In several incidents, masked gunmen opened fire on Jews living in the eastern half of the city. As close as last Monday, an IDF soldier was shot by a gunman on a motorbike near the neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz while waiting for a bus.
A large part of clashes took place between police and protestors. On the last night of Ramadan, the Police and Housing Ministry recorded 72 violent incidents between police and rioters alone, compared to the average five or six a month over the course of a year.
Police say that violent clashes in Jerusalem dramatically spiked after the hate-crime murder of Jerusalem Arab teen Muhammed Abu Khdeir by Jewish extremists. Coupled with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, East Jerusalem has turned into a volatile powder-keg of violence.
While violent in nature, the police said that most of the clashes between police forces and rioters did not result in severe injuries or deaths.
In response to threat of violent attacks posed by Palestinians in East Jerusalem, police have heightened their presence throughout the area and increased various security measures.
