Israeli police have stormed the world’s third-holiest Islamic site and fired stun grenades at worshipers in response to being pelted with stones. Two people have been injured and one arrested as a result of the scuffle.
The violence erupted after Friday prayers at a compound containing the Dome of Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam and Judaism. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told the Ma’an news agency that rocks had been lobbed at officers at the Mughrabi gate, which sparked the incident. A Palestinian citizen of Israel was arrested for carrying a knife and attempting to stab a police officer. Two other people were slightly injured.
The site is a scene of frequent clashes between Jews and Muslims. Jews calls this site the Temple Mount because of the biblical Jewish temples that once stood there. The adjacent western wall is a remnant of the second temple destroyed by the Romans in 70AD and is now a focal point of Jewish prayer.Israel captured East Jerusalem, including the ancient walled city where the holy sites are located, from the Palestinians in the 1967 War, a move which has never been internationally recognized. The latest clashes follow violence Thursday when worshipers at the Al-Aqsa mosque clashed with a Jewish security-escorted group touring the site for the Jewish Sukkot festival. About 140 Israelis toured the Mosque, sparking physical scuffles and verbal abuse with the Muslims who were praying at the holy compound. Rosenfeld said that five Palestinian citizens of Israel were arrested for attacking the group, and a Jewish Israeli citizen was also detained for refusing to leave the compound. On Tuesday 12 people were detailed by Israeli forces after a similar tour.