Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Holy Night Laylat al-Qadr

The Council for Arab British Understanding (Caabu) also slammed the inaction of London and the broader international community earlier this week.

“The UK government is well aware that the forcible transfer of an occupied population constitutes a war crime under international law,” the organisation said in a statement.

“The forcible transfer of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah (which would constitute a war crime) is happening merely a hop, skip and a jump away from the consulates of Britain, Belgium, Spain and Sweden,” Caabu parliamentary officer Joseph Willits wrote.

“If we are unable to stand with or speak up for Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and elsewhere, to help save Sheikh Jarrah, then human rights abusers globally will continue to rub their hands with glee.”

Hello MEE readers - as evening falls in Jerusalem, here is a summary of what has happened so far today.

Israeli forces arrested scores of Palestinians across occupied East Jerusalem after a night of heavy violence, during which Israeli forces shot tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at worshippers in the al-Aqsa mosque complex, injuring at least 205 Palestinians.

Palestinian citizens of Israel have been demonstrating in support of Jerusalemites in Nazareth, Jaffa, and other Palestinian-majority towns and villages across Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel has beefed up military presence in and around Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip in anticipation of increased protests this evening, and blocked buses bringing Palestinian citizens of Israel to Jerusalem.

You can read our full wrap-up of Saturday’s events here.

This evening marks Laylat al-Qadr, the most revered night of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Many Palestinians - as well as Israeli settlers, police officers and forces - are expected in al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem’s Old City.

Our live blog will continue this evening,  as many fear more violence ahead. Last night’s Israeli raids on al-Aqsa have set a tense atmosphere for what is usually the busiest night of Ramadan.

Every inch of al-Aqsa’s courtyards are usually covered with worshippers on the 27th night of Ramadan, Laylat al-Qadr. Often translated as the night of power, it is considered an exceptionally holy night.

Usually, tens of thousands of worshippers come from the West Bank, granted the rare opportunity to enter Jerusalem during Ramadan. This year Israel had already limited access to the few vaccinated against Covid-19. The treasured celebratory atmosphere Palestinians enjoy in Ramadan has been clouded throughout the month and last night’s raids on al-Aqsa have raised fears that this night will also be tainted.

Even after the raids, hundreds of people slept in al-Aqsa and during the day cleaned the courtyards in preparation for tonight’s worship. Palestinians have been calling for others to go to the mosque tonight, but activists in Jerusalem accused Israel of stopping buses bringing Palestinian citizens of Israel to Jerusalem, forcing them to walk long distances, as well as closing roads on the approach to the Old City.

Jerusalemites responded by taking their cars to pick up some of the arriving worshippers. A Jerusalemite films as cars pick up Palestinians walking towards the city to make prayers in al-Aqsa tonight.  Earlier this week, Kamel Hawwash wrote about his childhood memories from Sheikh Jarrah, and the longstanding battle of its residents to stay in the Jerusalem neighbourhood.

"Are these demands, after 65 years of de facto ownership of their homes, really that difficult for Israel to recognise - or does this situation merely confirm Israel as a settler-colonial, racist state? East Jerusalem is illegally occupied under international law. Israel is therefore committing a war crime by evicting Palestinians from their homes and moving its own settler population into them." in al-Aqsa mosque last night, where over 200 Palestinians and some 17 Israeli members of security forces were injured on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Meanwhile, Palestinians were the ones to clean up al-Aqsa after the violence died down. Newspaper The Times of Israel is reporting that the Israeli army is deploying “reinforcements” on Saturday after its crackdown on Palestinian worshippers and demonstrators the night before, as Palestinians have called for protests inside Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories - including the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government has tried to downplay the situation in Sheikh Jarrah as a “real-estate dispute”, accusing Palestinians of being behind the escalation in violence. However, international bodies have condemned settler efforts to take over Sheikh Jarrah at the expense of Palestinians as contravening international law.

Meanwhile, ample video footage on Friday night showed Israeli forces using tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse thousands of worshippers who had gathered in al-Aqsa Mosque, injuring over 200 Palestinians.

The Israeli army similarly rejected responsibility onto Palestinians in a separate incident earlier this week. Responding to an MEE request for comment on a settler arson attack on Palestinian farmlands in the northern West Bank, the army claimed that Palestinians themselves has started the fire.