Israeli crackdown on Jerusalem refugee camp ignites unrest

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli security forces set up checkpoints that choked off the only exit and entry points of Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem, bringing life to a standstill for its estimated 60,000 residents. The restrictions on the camp set off an explosion of anger across the city, where Palestinian shops shuttered in protest by day and thousands of young men skirmished with Israeli troops by night — the fiercest unrest in months. Clashes in the Jerusalem became a rallying cry last year that triggered the bloody 11-day Gaza war. The restrictions eased on Thursday, allowing food and supplies to enter and residents to return to work. But the outrage was undimmed in Jerusalem’s only refugee camp.