Jerusalem — Palestinians clashed with Israeli police on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem earlier than daybreak on Friday as hundreds gathered for prayers throughout the holy month of Ramadan. Medics mentioned at the least 152 Palestinians have been wounded.
The holy website, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, has typically been the epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian unrest, and tensions have been already heightened amid a current wave of violence. Clashes on the website final yr helped spark an 11-day battle with Hamas militants within the Gaza Strip.
The clashes come at a very delicate time. Ramadan this yr coincides with Passover, a significant weeklong Jewish vacation starting Friday at sunset, and Christian holy week, which culminates on Easter Sunday. The vacations are anticipated to carry tens of hundreds of devoted into Jerusalem's Previous Metropolis, house to main websites sacred to all three religions.
Hours after the clashes started, the police introduced that that they had put an finish to the violence and arrested "lots of" of suspects. They mentioned the mosque was re-opened and that Friday's noon prayers would happen as standard. Tens of hundreds of individuals have been anticipated.
However Al Jazeera reported that the mosque supervisor known as for plenty to collect there and "defend it" as they carry out Friday midday prayers.
The mosque was re-opened, and a few 60,000 folks attended the primary Friday prayers noon, in keeping with the Islamic endowment that administers the location.
Israeli authorities mentioned that they had earlier held negotiations with Muslim leaders to make sure calm and permit the prayers to happen, however that Palestinian youths hurled stones at police, triggering the violence. Palestinian witnesses, who spoke on situation of anonymity out of safety considerations, mentioned a small group of Palestinians threw rocks at police, who then entered the compound in pressure, setting off a wider confrontation.
Movies circulating on-line confirmed Palestinians throwing rocks and fireworks and police firing tear gasoline and stun grenades on the sprawling esplanade surrounding the mosque. Others confirmed worshippers barricading themselves contained in the mosque.
Later within the morning, Israeli police entered the mosque and have been arresting folks. Israeli safety forces not often enter the constructing, and once they do it's seen by Palestinians as a significant escalation.
The Palestinian Pink Crescent emergency service mentioned it handled 152 folks, lots of them wounded by rubber-coated bullets or stun grenades or overwhelmed with batons. The endowment mentioned one of many guards on the website was shot within the eye with a rubber bullet.
Israeli police mentioned three officers have been wounded from "large stone-throwing," with two evacuated from the scene for remedy.
Neighboring Jordan, which has custodianship over the holy website, and the Palestinian Authority issued a joint assertion accusing Israel of "a harmful and condemnable escalation that threatens to blow up the state of affairs."
The Israeli Overseas Ministry mentioned dozens of masked males carrying Palestinian and Hamas flags had marched to the compound earlier than daybreak on Friday and gathered stones and different objects in anticipation of unrest.
"Police have been pressured to enter the grounds to disperse the gang and take away the stones and rocks, with the intention to stop additional violence," it tweeted.
The police mentioned they waited till prayers have been over and the crowds began to disperse. In a press release, it mentioned crowds began hurling rocks within the path of the Western Wall, a close-by Jewish holy website, forcing them to behave.
Palestinians view any giant deployment of police at Al-Aqsa as a significant provocation.
Israel's nationwide safety minister, Omer Barlev, who oversees the police pressure, mentioned Israel had "no curiosity" in violence on the holy website however police have been pressured to confront "violent parts" that attacked them with stones and steel bars. He mentioned Israel was dedicated to freedom of worship for Jews and Muslims alike.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, talking at a vacation gathering with safety officers, mentioned authorities "are working to calm issues on the Temple Mount and all through Israel. On the identical time, we're ready for any state of affairs."
The mosque is the third holiest website in Islam. It is constructed on a hilltop in Jerusalem's Previous Metropolis that is essentially the most sacred website for Jews, who consult with it because the Temple Mount as a result of it was the location of the Jewish temples in antiquity. It has been a significant flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence for many years and was the epicenter of the 2000-2005 Palestinian intifada, or rebellion.
It is identified to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, or The Noble Sanctuary, the Reuters information company notes.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, house to Al-Aqsa and different main holy websites, within the 1967 battle and annexed it in a transfer not acknowledged internationally. Palestinians need the jap a part of the town to be the capital of a future impartial state together with the West Financial institution and Gaza, which Israel additionally captured throughout the battle almost 55 years in the past.
Tensions have soared in current weeks following a collection of assaults by Palestinians that killed 14 folks inside Israel. Israel has carried out a wave of arrests and army operations throughout the occupied West Financial institution, setting off clashes with Palestinians.
The Palestinian Well being Ministry mentioned a 17-year-old died early Friday from wounds suffered throughout clashes with Israeli forces in Jenin, within the occupied West Financial institution, the day earlier than.
Not less than 25 Palestinians have been killed within the current wave of violence, in keeping with an Related Press rely, lots of whom had carried out assaults or have been concerned within the clashes, but in addition an unarmed girl and a lawyer who seems to have been killed by mistake.
Weeks of protests and clashes in Jerusalem throughout Ramadan final yr ultimately ignited an 11-day battle with Hamas, the Islamic militant group that guidelines the Gaza Strip.
Israel had lifted restrictions and brought different steps to attempt to calm tensions forward of Ramadan, however the assaults and the army raids have led to one other cycle of unrest.
Hamas condemned what it mentioned have been "brutal assaults" on worshippers at Al-Aqsa by Israeli forces, saying Israel would bear "all the implications." It known as on all Palestinians to "stand by our folks in Jerusalem."
Earlier this week, Hamas and different militant teams in Gaza had known as on Palestinians to camp out on the Al-Aqsa mosque over the weekend. Palestinians have lengthy feared that Israel plans to take over the location or partition it.
Israeli authorities say they're dedicated to sustaining the established order, however lately nationalist and spiritual Jews have visited the location in giant numbers with police escorts.
In current weeks, a radical Jewish group had known as on folks to carry animals to the location with the intention to sacrifice them for Passover, providing money rewards for many who succeeded and even tried. Israeli police work to forestall such actions, however the name was extensively circulated by Palestinians on social media, together with requires Muslims to forestall any sacrifices from going down.
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall, issued a press release calling on Muslim leaders to behave to cease the violence. It additionally famous that "bringing a sacrifice to the Temple Mount right now is in opposition to the choice of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel."