Jerusalem: israeli police A sentient stormtrooper in full riot gear Jerusalem holy site Holy Friday for Jews and Muslims after Palestinian youth threw stones at a gate where they were stationed.
The renewed violence at the site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, came despite Israel Temporarily halting Jewish travel, which is seen by Palestinians as provocation.
Palestinians and Israeli police have clashed regularly at the site over the past week at a time of heightened tensions after a string of deadly attacks inside Israel and raids in the occupied West Bank. Three rockets have been fired from Gaza Strip in Israel.
The chain of events has raised fears of a repeat of last year, when protests and violence finally boiled over in Jerusalem, helping to ignite the 11-day Gaza War and sectarian violence in Israel’s mixed cities.
Thousands of Muslim worshipers are expected to observe the holy month of Ramadan later in the day for the main weekly prayer.
Palestinian youths pelted stones at police at a gate leading to the compound, according to two Palestinian witnesses who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. The police, in full riot gear, then entered the premises, firing rubber bullets and stun grenades.
Palestinian Red Crescent The medical service said at least 27 Palestinians were injured, two of whom were in critical condition. There was no immediate comment from Israel, which is largely closed for the end of the week-long Jewish Passover holiday.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam. The vast esplanade on which it is built is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because it was the site of two Jewish temples in antiquity. It is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and clashes there have often ignited violence elsewhere.
Palestinians and neighboring Jordan, the custodian of the site, accused Israel of violating the long-standing system, allowing large numbers of Jews to visit the site under police escort.
In recent years the ban on Jewish prayer at the site has been lifted, raising fears among Palestinians that Israel is planning to occupy or split the site.
Israel says it remains committed to the status quo and is responsible for inciting violence by the Islamic terrorist group Hamas, which rules Gaza. It said its security forces were working to remove stone-throwers to ensure freedom of worship for Jews and Muslims.
Visits by Jewish groups were suspended from Friday for the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as they have done in the past.
This year, Ramadan coincided with Passover and major Christian holidays, with thousands of people from all three faiths flocking to the old city after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions.
The Old City is in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured along with the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel does not recognize East Jerusalem internationally and considers the entire city as its capital. The Palestinians want an independent state in all three regions and see East Jerusalem as their capital.
The renewed violence at the site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, came despite Israel Temporarily halting Jewish travel, which is seen by Palestinians as provocation.
Palestinians and Israeli police have clashed regularly at the site over the past week at a time of heightened tensions after a string of deadly attacks inside Israel and raids in the occupied West Bank. Three rockets have been fired from Gaza Strip in Israel.
The chain of events has raised fears of a repeat of last year, when protests and violence finally boiled over in Jerusalem, helping to ignite the 11-day Gaza War and sectarian violence in Israel’s mixed cities.
Thousands of Muslim worshipers are expected to observe the holy month of Ramadan later in the day for the main weekly prayer.
Palestinian youths pelted stones at police at a gate leading to the compound, according to two Palestinian witnesses who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. The police, in full riot gear, then entered the premises, firing rubber bullets and stun grenades.
Palestinian Red Crescent The medical service said at least 27 Palestinians were injured, two of whom were in critical condition. There was no immediate comment from Israel, which is largely closed for the end of the week-long Jewish Passover holiday.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam. The vast esplanade on which it is built is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because it was the site of two Jewish temples in antiquity. It is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and clashes there have often ignited violence elsewhere.
Palestinians and neighboring Jordan, the custodian of the site, accused Israel of violating the long-standing system, allowing large numbers of Jews to visit the site under police escort.
In recent years the ban on Jewish prayer at the site has been lifted, raising fears among Palestinians that Israel is planning to occupy or split the site.
Israel says it remains committed to the status quo and is responsible for inciting violence by the Islamic terrorist group Hamas, which rules Gaza. It said its security forces were working to remove stone-throwers to ensure freedom of worship for Jews and Muslims.
Visits by Jewish groups were suspended from Friday for the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as they have done in the past.
This year, Ramadan coincided with Passover and major Christian holidays, with thousands of people from all three faiths flocking to the old city after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions.
The Old City is in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured along with the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel does not recognize East Jerusalem internationally and considers the entire city as its capital. The Palestinians want an independent state in all three regions and see East Jerusalem as their capital.