Yet again both sides are to blame

Brutal violence erupted once again in East Jerusalem between Israeli settlers and Palestinians, after the settlers moved into territory formerly inhabited by Palestinians. The BBC reported that the disputed land in the Sheik Jarrah district is disputed:

The house is one of a group of properties which both Palestinian and Jewish families claim to own. Israeli courts have recently ruled in favour of the Jewish claims in some of the cases.

The New York Times meanwhile provided more information, explaining that the home was built and owned by a Palestinian family, who have since been evicted due to building the home without permits:

The latest Jewish residents to move into the area were escorted by the police and private security guards and immediately removed furniture from the property, which was built by a Palestinian family headed by Refka al-Kurd, 87.

The small, one-story structure was built about 10 years ago as an extension of the Kurds’ original home, but it was unoccupied, having been sealed by the authorities after it was determined to have been constructed without the proper permits.

'The authorities took our keys to the property because we built it without permits,” said Nabil al-Kurd, 66, who lives in the original house. “But it seems the settlers can live here without permits because they are the sons of God,” he said bitterly, referring to the Jewish newcomers.'

It appears the Palestinians provoked the violence, so yet again both sides are to blame. Israel continues to opress the Palestinians and take their land, and the Palestinians resort to violence. In a statement issued today, the United Nations said that the:

secretary general has expressed his dismay at the continuation of demolitions, evictions and the installment of Israeli settlers in Palestinian neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem. Provocative actions such as these, create inevitable tensions, undermine trust, often have tragic human consequences and make resuming negotiations and achieving a two-state solution more difficult.