Witnesses: Butchers raided by police in J'lem

Ma'an
Five Palestinians sustained bruising on Sunday morning after Israeli special forces allegedly stormed a butcher shop in the Old City of Jerusalem, detaining five employees.

A large Israeli police force was reported to have stormed the shop, near Bab Hutta, firing pepper spray and assaulting both customers and owners, from the Maswada family.

.....several groups of Israeli police forces were on their way to Al-Qadisiyya street near Bab Hutta when they suddenly stormed the shop and "started beating us with clubs and spraying pepper spray at us."

Tiryaqi and his son Muhammad sustained bruises while his wife passed out after inhaling pepper-spray fumes, he said. Two other customers also sustained bruises, according to Tiryaqi.

Five young employees at the butcher's shop were also reportedly detained, identified by the owner as Shadi, Samir and Karim Maswada, as well as Muhannad Qawasmi. The fifth detainee remains unidentified.

Tiryaqi said police claimed the assault was sparked by "stares" from shop patrons directed at the officers.

Mickey Rosenfeld, the Israeli police spokesman, said police officials had not received any reports of detentions or the use of pepper spray in the area, noting that such methods would only be used in "extreme cases" and police representatives would be immediately informed.  Full story