26 Cars Vandalized in East Jerusalem, Firebomb Thrown Into Jewish Home

Two separate violent incidents took place in East Jerusalem overnight Monday amid tensions rising in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in preparation for protests marking Nakba Day, and the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, both on Monday.

A firebomb was thrown at a Jewish home in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Sunday night. A policeman at the scene was injured lightly in the eye and evacuated to the hospital. The police began searching for the suspects.

>> Live updates as incendiary week begins 

Twenty six parked cars in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shoafat had their tires slashed on early Monday morning and graffiti saying: “Jews wake up” was spray painted on nearby walls. The police opened an investigation into the incident.

Stones were also thrown at a light rail train passing through Shoafat and a train window was damaged, but no one was injured. The police are looking for suspects.

A car damaged in a suspected hate crime in East Jerusalem on Monday morning.Israel police spokesperson

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The center of the Arab protests in the capital will be a demonstration organized by the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee in Israel in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood, near the new embassy building. The committee called on the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem to participate too.

>> Embassies, Nakba, Ramadan: All You Need to Know About Israel’s Roller-coaster Week ■ Nakba Day Protests Starting Monday Will Be Most Violent to Date, IDF Official Warns

Two weeks ago, tires were slashed in the town of Turmus Ayya in the northern West Bank in a suspected hate crime. Graffiti was also sprayed in the vicinity, reading "Let us take care of them." The Israel Police launched an investigation but has yet to arrest any suspects. Five suspected hate occurred the previous week in Israel and the West Bank.

These acts joined a series of alleged attacks by right wing activists over the preceding three months against Palestinians and property in the West Bank, mostly in the Nablus area. According to the Shin Bet, the number of violent incidents targeting Palestinian this year is higher than what it was throughout all of last year.