Israel’s Supreme Court allows E. Jerusalem protest

Protesters in an eastern Jerusalem neighborhood must stay in an enclosed area, except for 300 who will be allowed in the streets for a half-hour, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled.

The demonstration against the evacuation of Arab residents from their home is planned for the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood on Saturday night.

Police had banned the demonstration, saying that it would be difficult to handle the protest while maintaining public order and disturb prayers near the Tomb of Simeon the Just.

The justices criticized Jerusalem police for their handling of ongoing protests in the neighborhood over the past six months saying that “the police’s behavior regarding these protests takes us 30 years backwards.”