Riots!!!!

Crowds gathering in front of the
Police Station

There was a massive riot last night at Herod's Gate which lasted some 3 hours. I had just returned from hospital in Tel Aviv at half past midnight, and decided to enter the City by Herod's Gate to avoid the crowds. However the riots just got started.

Apparently the minibus drivers from Atur (a village on the Mt of Olives where the Apostles brought a donkey for Christ to ride down to Jerusalem) have parked all round the roads in front of Herod's Gate, touting for passengers, thus blocking the traffic and also parking space of local residents. Locals from Bab Hutta quarter which is directly inside Herod's Gate came out to complain. A fight ensured and police (the Police Station is also directly in front of Herod's Gate) came to arrest one driver. Crowds of Atur supporters gathered around the Police Station to protest and after 15 mins the guy was released. He came out venting his anger by bashing a few cars belonging to  Bab Hutta residents.

The Bab Hutta residents gathered in their hundreds (they're a pretty aggressive bunch coming from the poorest quarter of the Old City) with stones, sticks, Molotov cocktails and other weapons and attacked the minibuses and their drivers. Two minibuses were quite damaged and their drivers beaten up.

Minutes later the Atur crowd came back in their hundreds and entered Herod's Gate to damage the houses inside as well as beating up the Bab Hutta residents. They smashed 5 cars parked in front of Herod's Gate ... really bad, even setting one on fire.

The Bab Hutta crowd regathered inside the City and rushed out to beat back the Atur rioters, more Molotov cocktails and even one gas tank that was opened and was about to be lit. I was 20 meters away and I ran like hell. If it had exploded, many people would have died. The gas tank was thrown down hill towards the Atur rioters.

Israeli police had already fired stun grenades earlier to disperse the crowd but with a gas tank opened, they did not risk an explosion so they stood aside. They only charged at the crowds when the gas tank was removed from the road and the 2 fighting groups had gone down towards the Kidron Valley. Lots of stun grenades fired.

Crowds re-gathering after Molotov
cocktails had been thrown. A few
seconds later a gas tank was rolled
down the hill, which would have
exploded had the attacker not decide
to abandon the plan.

After 3 hours (meaning 3am) the elders from the Bab Hutta quarter came out to speak to the crowd, calming them and telling them of a truce they agreed with the Atur elders by phone. Then they spoke to the police gathered in front of Herod's Gate. The Police wanted to charge into the City and make some arrests but the elders persuaded the Police not to ... they would surrender the few culprits who caused damage to the Police themselves.

Things finally quietened down by 3.30am and I could walk home. Inside the Old City, groups of men gathered in 5s and 10s, talking about what happened and how they would seek compensation for the damage done to their property. As it is, things are not over. There'll be revenge attacks after Eid el Fitri. Watch this space for updates!