Religious Zionist MKs Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strook sent a letter to Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev emphasizing the need for increased protection of Jewish homes in Shimon HaTzadik, a Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem near Sheikh Jarrah.
The letter comes after the two MKs visited the neighborhood on Tuesday and were accosted by Arab residents. Videos show one Arab man screaming at Smotrich, "You are garbage, there is nothing for you to do here. You cockroach, get out of here." Two nearby police officers intervened and dispersed the crowd.
In the letter, Smotrich and Strook say that Jewish homes in the neighborhood are attacked daily with "stones, bottles, Molotov cocktails, explosives and fireworks." They describe the lives of Jewish residents as an "ongoing nightmare."
The MKs also stress the lack of response from the police in the neighborhood, as they argue that the police are not doing their part to stop the attackers. They claim that the police do not intervene to prevent attacks on Jewish residents, instead focusing on keeping them in their homes to create an "artificial peace."
In response, the MKs urge the police to take a more active role in stopping the violence, including making arrests, stopping riots and preventing "hostile, agitated and violent elements" from entering the neighborhood.
The letter concludes that "as long as there is no immediate change in the police approach, we are forced to reach the area ourselves in the evening on a regular basis in order to stand by the attacked residents."
Tensions in Shimon HaTzadik and Sheikh Jarrah ignited in May after the Jerusalem District Court denied an appeal against an eviction of Palestinian residents in Sheikh Jarrah. Since then, there have been reports of continuing clashes in the neighborhood.