Palestinians Israeli police clash at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa
(MENAFN- Arab News) JERUSALEM: Masked rock-throwing Palestinians and Israeli police using stun grenades clashed on Sunday at Al-Aqsa mosque plaza on the annual Jewish day of mourning for Jerusalem's two destroyed Biblical temples.
No serious injuries were reported at the site which lies in the Israeli-occupied walled Old City and is revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount where two temples once stood.
A police spokeswoman said Palestinians had prepared makeshift barricades and used rocks metal bars and flares to attack police who came to dismantle them.
Violence at the site has flared in the past year as Palestinians have been riled by visits by non-Muslims including ultranationalist Jews to the compound.
Police used stun grenades to push protesters back into the mosque and stepped inside its entrance way to close its main doors which the spokeswoman said had been jammed open by rock-throwers.
Israeli police following long-standing procedures do not venture further into the mosque Islam's third holiest shrine and violence usually subsides quickly as it did on Sunday after Palestinian demonstrators take refuge inside.
Jewish ultranationalists have been pushing the Israeli government to allow Jewish prayer on the compound outside Al-Aqsa which stands above the Western Wall.
Such worship certain to stir Muslim anger has been banned on the plaza by Israel since it captured East Jerusalem and its Old City in the 1967 Middle East war.
After Sunday's violence ended a right-wing Israeli cabinet minister visited the compound to mark Tisha B'Av when Jews lament the temples' destruction.
Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its indivisible and eternal capital a claim not recognized internationally.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem annexed by Israel after the 1967 war as the capital of a state they aspire to establish in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.
No serious injuries were reported at the site which lies in the Israeli-occupied walled Old City and is revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount where two temples once stood.
A police spokeswoman said Palestinians had prepared makeshift barricades and used rocks metal bars and flares to attack police who came to dismantle them.
Violence at the site has flared in the past year as Palestinians have been riled by visits by non-Muslims including ultranationalist Jews to the compound.
Police used stun grenades to push protesters back into the mosque and stepped inside its entrance way to close its main doors which the spokeswoman said had been jammed open by rock-throwers.
Israeli police following long-standing procedures do not venture further into the mosque Islam's third holiest shrine and violence usually subsides quickly as it did on Sunday after Palestinian demonstrators take refuge inside.
Jewish ultranationalists have been pushing the Israeli government to allow Jewish prayer on the compound outside Al-Aqsa which stands above the Western Wall.
Such worship certain to stir Muslim anger has been banned on the plaza by Israel since it captured East Jerusalem and its Old City in the 1967 Middle East war.
After Sunday's violence ended a right-wing Israeli cabinet minister visited the compound to mark Tisha B'Av when Jews lament the temples' destruction.
Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its indivisible and eternal capital a claim not recognized internationally.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem annexed by Israel after the 1967 war as the capital of a state they aspire to establish in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Comments
No comment