Incidents in East Jerusalem, Damascus Gate.

An extraordinarily hot but otherwise normal day in East Jerusalem was disrupted today by gunshots. Two brief reports from what sounded like a rifle ripped through the humid, dusty air of the neightborhood around Damascus Gate directly outside the Old City.
A large number of police, army and special forces vehicles responded immediately. Witnesses estimated that the presence of police and military personnel numbered upwards of two hundred individuals.
Groups of foreign activists staying at Faisal Hostel in preparation for forays into West Bank and Gaza in co-operation with ISM rushed to the scene to document and bear witness to the extraordinary display of armed forces on the scene. As they watched, a group of young army officers kicked over boxes of vegetables and shoes being sold by one of the many teenaged Arabs on the sidewalks on the road near Damascus Gate. One young army officer-- himself almost dark enough to be taken for an Arab-- kicked over boxes of produce on the other side of the street while pointing an assault rifle at the eight-year-old selling his wares.
One policeman who did not give his name identified the cause of the commotion: "an officer has been shot." When asked if the perpetrator has been identified, he said "it was an Arab, of course. Who else?"
Facts on the ground at the moment are hard to ascertain. It appears that police forces are now searching for the weapon used in the crime, although ISM participants also noted that the authorities seemed to be taking the opportunity for wholesale discrimination and random harassment against Arabs.
Damascus Gate has been closed as a result of this incident and the crowds normally bustling through this area has largely dispersed. An Arab man on the scene said it has been at least five years since Damascus Gate was shut down for "security reasons".
More news will follow as updates become available.