Palestinian Prostesters, Israel Police Clash at Damascus Gate

Palestinian protesters and Israel Police officers clashed Monday night for the third night in a row near Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate. At least two of the protesters were arrested on Monday. Ten Palestinians were reported injured during clashes on Sunday night.

The protests are over construction work near a Muslim cemetery, known as al-Yusufiya, located next to the walls of the Old City. During the construction work on Sunday, several human bones were unearthed. One of the graves was broken open and scattered by a bulldozer, the Palestinian Wafa News agency reported. Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority said in a statement that the bones came from a shallow grave uncovered in a public area outside of the Muslim cemetery. The area is being developed by the Jerusalem Development Authority and the Nature and Parks Authority.

Controversy over access to the area outside of the Damascus Gate during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan was one of the catalysts of May’s cross-border conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.