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Palestinians clash with Israeli police at Jerusalem holy site
Israeli police fire rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades in what they said was a bid to head off Palestinian attempt to disrupt visits by Jews on eve of Jewish New Year.
Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli police in Jerusalem’s Old City at the al-Aqsa mosque on Sunday, in what the police said was a bid to head off Palestinian attempts to disrupt visits by Jews and foreign tourists on the eve of the Jewish New Year.
Tensions have been running high after two Muslim civilian groups who patrol the Al-Aqsa compound were banned last week by Israel’s defense minister, Moshe Yaalon.
Palestinian witnesses said police had entered the mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades and injuring several worshippers. “They were chasing us with [stun] grenades and it’s been like that since the morning,” one Muslim worshipper, Khadijeh Khweis told Agence France-Presse.
Reuters reports that police used tear gas toward Palestinian youths, who barricaded themselves inside the mosque and hurled rocks and flares.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said forces entered the compound at 6.45am after being told Palestinians planned to attack visiting Jews, who revere the site they call Temple Mount.
“Police entered the site and masked protesters were throwing stones and fireworks at police. They were also being thrown from inside the mosque toward police,” he said. “We sealed off the main gate and shut the door of the mosque.
A statement from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he "strongly condemned the aggression of the Israeli storming of al-Aqsa this morning with troops and occupation police".
Al Aqsa official Radwan Amr said 32 of the mosque's windows were completely or partially destroyed, a door was shattered and the carpet burned in 12 places.
The Palestinian youths, Israeli police said in a statement, had intended "to disrupt the routine of visits to the Temple Mount on the eve of Rosh Hashana", the Jewish New Year, which begins at sunset on Sunday.
"A police force ... surprised the barricaded youngsters and entered the Temple Mount area" so that the visits could get under way, the statement added.
