Palestinians hold strike over Israel-Gaza violence

General strikes were held in East Jerusalem, Arab towns within Israel, and in the West Bank cities on Tuesday (May 18).

As Ramadan clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, a court case by Israeli settlers to evict Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah, and the Israeli bombardment of Gaza have caused anger among Palestinians.

Posts on social media bore the Palestinian flag and urged solidarity "from the sea to the river."

Across East Jerusalem, Palestinian businesses were shuttered.

A protest organizer in the mixed Jewish-Arab port city of Haifa in northern Israel told Reuters 90% of businesses in Arab neighborhoods were closed.

Jabal Mukaber resident, Diaa Rabaya’a, hopes the strike has the desired effects.

"The other side, the Jews, should know the impact of the Arabs. Arabs have a presence in many important fields. Any day they choose not to work, it almost disables the country. They should know that Arabs have a big role in the country."

In the city of Jaffa, resident, Dani Malachi deplored the strike.

"This strike is unnecessary, because the Arabs are not lacking anything, and they try to support Gaza, while Gaza cannot support them in anything."

Overall in Israel, the strike appeared to have little effect on the general pace of commerce, or on the high-tech industry.

An official at a large supermarket chain in which many Arab workers are employed said its stores were operating as usual, though some deliveries were delayed.