Palestinians slam Israel for using tear gas to break up Jerusalem fight

Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, in the village of Haris, southwest of Nablus, on August 21, 2020. (AFP)

A man gestures during a protest by Palestinians including landowners denouncing Israeli settlement building activities on their land in Al-Thaalaba village, near Yatta in area (C), south of Hebron city in the occupied West Bank, on August 21, 2020. (AFP)

• Hanan Ashrawi retweeted the video and wrote: “Brave Israeli occupation troops! It must take real courage to storm this Palestinian hospital in Jerusalem, tear gas patients and staff, and wreak havoc throughout

AMMAN: Palestinian officials reported on Friday that Israeli police used tear gas to break up a fight between two families inside an emergency room in the Maqaseed Hospital in East Jerusalem.

A video circulating on social media apparently backs up that statement, showing a hospital room full of gas. Hospital officials said the tear gas caused chaos and left many visitors struggling to breathe.

Abu Qassam, a hospital official, told Arab News that when the fight ended up inside the emergency room, they had no choice but to call the police.

“If we had not called the police it would have turned into a blood bath,” he said. “We were unable to control the situation, but the police initially came with two officers who were also unable to control the situation and they had to call for reinforcements. Eventually, more police came and they used tear gas in the emergency room, causing other patients to have trouble breathing,” he said.

PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi retweeted the video and wrote: “Brave Israeli occupation troops! It must take real courage to storm this Palestinian hospital in Jerusalem, tear gas patients and staff, and wreak havoc throughout. Persistent inhumanity is the outcome of impunity/lack of accountability.” Ashrawi ended her tweet by saying “Stop Israeli crimes, Free Palestine.”

HIGHLIGHT

Hospital officials said the tear gas caused chaos and left many visitors struggling to breathe

Israeli police spokesman Miki Rosenfeld criticized Ashrawi’s comments and labeled the video “fake news.”

Rosenfeld confirmed some details of the incident but insisted that tear gas was only used outside of the hospital building. He told Arab News that police arrested a suspect who was involved in a local family dispute and stabbing incident.

“Police arrived at the hospital in order to arrest one of the suspects involved. Police officers were attacked and, outside the hospital, they used non-lethal weapons to disperse those involved. Inside the hospital, pepper spray was sprayed by one of the locals. The suspect involved in the stabbing was eventually arrested and is being questioned,” Rosenfeld said.