JERUSALEM, November 11 (JMCC) - Tension was high in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya Thursday morning as Israeli forces demolished a pen for horses and sheep at the entrance to the community.

The police action marked the fourth day of clashes between them and the Palestinian residents. Authorities said they were trying to impose law and order in the neighborhood, while residents spoke out against a police cordon that had persisted for days and prevented easy access to the area.

Also on Thursday, police installed a traffic sign at the neighborhood's northern entrance that prevented traffic from exiting the area into the nearby Jewish settlement of French Hill. Residents saw the move as one more step towards severing Isawiya's connections to the surrounding neighborhoods, isolating it physically and economically.

Palestinians seek Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state.