JERUSALEM // Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem on Friday as thousands of people turned out for the burial of a Palestinians teenager suspected to have been killed by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack.
Wrapped in a Palestinian flag and traditional headscarf, the body of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 17, was brought by ambulance to a mosque in the Shuafat neighbourhood in East Jerusalem where he lived, before mourners carried the open casket through the crowd to a cemetery.
Mourners chanted “with our soul, with our blood, we would sacrifice anything for you [Palestine]” and “Allahu akbar!”
Waving a Palestinian flag and with a traditional scarf covering his face at the funeral, Shuafat resident Rami, 20, said he came to chant and mourn his neighbourhood friend. “Frankly, my emotions cannot be described. I am happy and sad. I am happy because he died a martyr, but I am sad because they kidnapped him, killed him and then burned him.”
During the procession, masked Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli police officers on duty nearby who responded with stun grenades, the police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said.
He said more than 2,000 people attended the funeral.
Police had increased security in and around Jerusalem as the funeral coincided with the first Friday prayer services of Ramadan.
No casualties were immediately reported from the clashes or other unrest in the area.
Mr Rosenfeld said police clashed with hundreds of Palestinians in Ras Al Amud and Wadi Joz in the eastern sector of the city, which has been rocked by violent protests since Mohammed’s burnt body was found in a forest on Wednesday, hoours after he was seized before outside his home while waiting to attend morning prayers.
Tensions have been high since three Israeli teenagers were abducted in the West Bank on June 12, sparking a massive manhunt that ended with the discovery of their bodies on Monday.
Israel has blamed Hamas for the abductions and launched a crackdown on the Islamic militant group in the West Bank, drawing rocket attacks out of Gaza and Israeli airstrikes in a near-daily cycle of retaliation.
Hamas, which has kidnapped Israelis in the past, praised the kidnapping of the teenagers but did not take responsibility for it.
Palestinians allege that Mohammed’s killing was a revenge attack by Israeli extremists for the deaths of the three Israeli teens. Israeli police said an investigation was ongoing and the motive has yet to be determined.
The killing of the Palestinian boy was widely condemned by Israeli leaders, including the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to find the attackers.
“We don’t know yet the motives or the identities of the perpetrators, but we will. We will bring to justice the criminals responsible for this despicable crime whoever they may be,” Mr Netanyahu said Thursday.
“Murder, riots, incitement, vigilantism, they have no place in our democracy.”
Mohammed’s family set up a large tent outside the home for those seeking to pay condolences and distributed posters mourning his death.
On the main road in Shuafat, streets and light rail tracks remained covered in charred debris, rocks and large rubbish containers.
Protests broke out in a few areas after Friday prayers, police said. Hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks at police, who responded with stun grenades.
Palestinians also threw rocks at the most sensitive holy site in Jerusalem. The hilltop compound is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, where the two biblical Jewish Temples stood. It is sacred to Muslims as the Haram As Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, marking the place where they believe the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven.
The Red Crescent said a total of 62 Palestinians were wounded in clashes on Friday, one of them by a live bullet.
* Associated Press
