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The toughest police beat in the world is Jerusalem's Old City

Israeli security forces stand guard next to the Dome of the Rock at the Al Aqsa mosque
Israeli security forces stand guard next to the Dome of the Rock at the Al Aqsa mosque Credit: Getty

Dawn marks the beginning of a perilous hour in the Old City of Jerusalem. After sunrise, thousands of Muslims and Jews gather to perform their respective devotions at the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Western Wall. They are only a stone’s throw apart – and, sadly, that metaphor is only too apt. Every day brings a new risk of bloodshed in a place where the holiest site of Judaism is found alongside the third holiest of Islam.

Preventing a conflagration in the tinderbox of the Old City must be the toughest policing job in the world. The task falls to 600 Israeli policemen with the unique beat represented by the warren of alleys enclosed within the Ottoman walls of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

In other cities, the worst that police have to fear if a public order incident gets out of hand is a riot. In Jerusalem, the worst case scenario hardly bears thinking about. A bloody clash near the holy places could trigger a new Palestinian “intifada”, or uprising. Any perceived threat to the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock would cause fury across the Muslim world. The atmosphere is particularly febrile at present because of the frequent stabbing attacks by Palestinians against Israelis, with 110 incidents since last October.

The risks prey on the mind of Superintendent Micky Rosenfeld of the Israeli police. “If you have 50 people who get trampled to death in a stampede near the Western Wall, what does that mean?” he asked. “Catastrophe. The consequences won’t just be in Israel – they’ll be worldwide.”

Some 320 CCTV cameras monitor the Old City and there are police posts every 30 to 50 metres. Meanwhile, a 40-strong rapid reaction squad is on permanent alert beside the Western Wall. Left unspoken is one underlying cause of tension. The Old City is contested territory. Israel captured the area in 1967, but its rule is not recognised by the international community, let alone the Palestinians.

Londoners might question the Met’s competence, but not its right to be everywhere in London. Israeli police have no such luxury: in the Old City, their very presence is a matter of dispute.  

 

Dignified in the face of horrific loss

In the far north of Israel lives a mother with a husband and two daughters. Smadar Haran, quiet and dignified, refers to her children and spouse as her “second” family. Thirty seven years ago, a teenager called Samir Kuntar deprived her of her first.

Even after decades of terrorism, the details of what happened on that night in 1979 are still shocking. Kuntar, a member of the Palestine Liberation Front, entered Israel from Lebanon and burst into the home that Mrs Haran shared with her first husband, Danny, and their daughters, Einat, four, and Yael, two. As he was breaking down their door, Mrs Haran and Yael hid in a secret cavity. Danny stayed to resist the attacker, along with Einat who refused to leave him.

But Kuntar broke in and captured the father and daughter. As he roamed the apartment, searching for the mother and child, Yael suffered an asthma attack. Her mother tried desperately to silence her. The breathless child lapsed into unconsciousness.

Palestinian Militants from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, at one point incorporated with the Palestine Liberation Front
Palestinian Militants from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, at one point incorporated with the Palestine Liberation Front

Kuntar then dragged Danny and Einat to a nearby beach. There he shot the husband and methodically crushed the little girl’s head with his rifle butt. Meanwhile, in the apartment, Yael never recovered consciousness and died in her mother’s arms.

Today, Mrs Haran is a social worker who abhors hatred or revenge. “I never want to become a vengeful human being,” she said. “I tried to preserve my values and rebuild myself.”

Kuntar was captured and jailed, only to be released in 2008 under a prisoner exchange. He was killed six months ago in a mysterious explosion in Damascus. But this did not ease Mrs Haran’s burden. “I often wondered how I would feel if that happened,” she said. “When it happened, I was surprised that I didn’t find I was relieved.”

 

Wisdom and moderation is in short supply 

This sense of wisdom, dignity and moderation is in short supply among Israel’s leaders. Last Friday, Moshe Ya’alon was sacked as defence minister to make way for Avigdor Lieberman, a hard-Right politician. Mr Ya’alon warned grimly that “extremist and dangerous elements” had “overrun Israel”. Mr Ya’alon, a former army chief of staff, is no liberal. When he complains about political extremism, then there really is a problem.

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