Image: Police stand in front of demonstrators from the Lehava Jewish extremist group at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem on April 22, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

UAE condemns Jewish extremists’ violence in Jerusalem, calls for restraint
Times of Israel

“The United Arab Emirates on Sunday called on Israel to reduce tensions in Jerusalem and condemned a recent march by an extremist Jewish group in the city. The statement was a rare criticism of Israel from the Arab nation since the two countries signed a normalization agreement last year and have been pushing ahead with increasingly warm ties. ‘The United Arab Emirates has expressed concern over the acts of violence committed by right-wing extremist groups in the occupied East Jerusalem, which have resulted in injuries among civilians,’ the statement said."

Image: Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian protester outside the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on April 23, 2021, amid tensions following April 22 clashes between Palestinians and far-right Jews. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)

Riots in Jerusalem become diplomatic crisis
Al-Monitor

“After a long night of clashes between police, Jewish far-right activists and Muslim protesters, tensions in Jerusalem are becoming an international issue. The US Embassy in Israel expressed concern Friday (April 23) over escalating tensions in Jerusalem. ‘We are deeply concerned about the incidents of violence in Jerusalem over the last several days. We hope all responsible voices will promote an end to incitement, a return to calm, and respect for the safety and dignity of everyone in Jerusalem,’ read the statement, which was published in English, Hebrew and Arabic."

Image: Houses illuminated with Sars of David and Islamic crescent moons in Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood on Sunday (April 18). (Ohad Zwigenberg)

'Like spy agencies': Inside East Jerusalem's Jewish settlement
Haaretz

“The endless conflict between Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem’s Silwan neighborhood and Jewish settlements has taken an unexpectedly visual turn in recent years. Jewish residents started placing bright blue Stars of David, visible from afar, on their roofs. The Palestinians responded by putting up green crescents. From a distance, the bright colors may look celebratory and benign, but a closer look shows otherwise."

Image: A torchlight procession in Yerevan on Friday (April 23) to mark the 106th anniversary of the massacres in which about 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were killed during World War I. (Karen Minasyan/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

Breaking with predecessors, Biden declares mass killings of Armenians a genocide
NY Times

“President Biden on Saturday (April 24) recognized the mass killings of Armenians more than a century ago as genocide, signaling a willingness to test an increasingly frayed relationship with Turkey, long a key regional ally and an important partner within NATO. ‘Each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring,’ Mr. Biden said in a statement issued on the 106th anniversary of the beginning of a brutal campaign by the former Ottoman Empire that killed 1.5 million people.”

Read CMEP’s statement lauding President Biden’s announcement.