Israel: Jewish Women Tear-Gas Arab Taxi Drivers in Jerusalem, Suspects Interrogated

Four young women from a Jewish settlement have been arrested on suspicion of attacking two Arab taxi drivers with tear gas in separate incidents in Jerusalem.

An Arab taxi driver reported one attack to Israeli police, claiming that four Jewish women used tear gas on him and that the incident was nationalistically motivated, according to the Jerusalem Post. The driver did not require any medical treatment after the incident.

Another Arab-Israeli taxi driver also reported being attacked with tear gas by four women in Jerusalem city centre.

Following the reports, Israeli police searched for the suspects in the capital and detained four women from the Yitzhar settlement, finding tear gas in their possession. The suspects were then taken for interrogation.

Tensions have continued to rise in the Israeli capital following an attempted assassination of a far-right Jewish activist, the suspected lynching of a Palestinian bus driver, and a deadly Palestinian attack on a Jerusalem synagogue which killed 5 Israelis.

Unrest in the holy city has been exacerbated by developments regarding the Temple Mount, or Al-Aqsa compound, which has witnessed clashes after proposals to enhance Jewish access to the flashpoint site, where they are currently banned from praying.