• April 12 – The first day of Ramadan after a year where festivities were severely curtailed due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Israeli security forces install barricades to control anticipated crowds, including on the stairs outside Damascus Gate – a popular spot for Palestinians to gather during the holy month of Ramadan. The barricades are viewed by many locals as emblematic of Israel’s deepening administrative hold over East Jerusalem, and they become the focus of nightly Palestinian protests at the Damascus Gate; however, there are other pressing issues fueling the tensions as well, namely the status of East Jerusalem in upcoming Palestinian elections and a pending Supreme Court appeal against the expulsion of six Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem.
  • April 13 – Palestinians begin to gather for nightly protests at the Damascus Gate, producing frequent clashes with security forces over the next five days.
  • April 16 – First Friday prayer of Ramadan sees 10,000 fully vaccinated Palestinians worshipping at Al-Aqsa Mosque; overall, there are far fewer present than the 180,000 who typically attend Friday prayers. The first Friday prayers pass without major incident.
  • April 18 – After several days of clashes between protestors and security forces at the Damascus Gate – featured prominently in videos on social media – far-right groups increase calls for a government crackdown.
  • April 19 – Rival protests between Arab Israelis and religious Jewish groups break out in Jaffa, a traditionally Arab enclave that has been incorporated into Tel Aviv. The protests break out following the violent assault of a yeshiva head, footage of which circulated on social media.
  • April 20 – A viral TikTok video depicting two Palestinian teenagers assaulting ultra-Orthodox Jewish youths on Jerusalem public transit goes viral.
  • April 22 – Citing the above TikTok video as motivation, ultra-nationalist members of the Lehava group descend on the Damascus Gate chanting “Death to Arabs.” Dozens are injured in the resulting clashes, predominantly on the Palestinian side, and more than 50 people are arrested.
  • April 25 – Israeli police remove the barricades in Jerusalem’s Old City.
  • April 25 – Three Arab sanitation workers are attacked by a group of Jewish youths in downtown Jerusalem. In Ramle, a Jewish Israeli man is attacked by an Arab teen while distributing religious pamphlets.
  • May 7 – Last Friday prayer of Ramadan sees 70,000 worshippers participate. After prayers, clashes break out between Palestinian youths and security forces at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, resulting in 163 Palestinians and six police officers being hurt.
  • May 8 – The Middle east Quartet of the United States, EU, UN, and Russia issues a statement expressing “deep concern” over worsening violence in Jerusalem.