Clashes at Jerusalem holy site leave more than 150 Palestinians injured, Palestinian medics say

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 no less than 152 Palestinians had been wounded.

The holy website, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, has usually been the epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian unrest, and tensions had been already heightened amid a latest wave of violence. Clashes on the website final 12 months helped spark an 11-day struggle with Hamas militants within the Gaza Strip.

The clashes come at a very delicate time. Ramadan this 12 months 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 convey tens of hundreds of trustworthy into Jerusalem’s Previous Metropolis, dwelling to main websites sacred to all three religions.

Hours after the clashes started, the police introduced that they’d 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 typical. Tens of hundreds of individuals had been anticipated.

However Al Jazeera reported that the mosque supervisor referred to as for lots to assemble there and “defend it” as they carry out Friday midday prayers. 

The mosque was re-opened, and a few 60,000 individuals attended the primary Friday prayers noon, in line with the Islamic endowment that administers the location.

Israeli authorities mentioned they’d 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 issues, 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 had been arresting individuals. Israeli safety forces not often enter the constructing, and once they do it’s seen by Palestinians as a significant escalation.

The Palestinian Crimson Crescent emergency service mentioned it handled 152 individuals, 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 had been wounded from “large stone-throwing,” with two evacuated from the scene for therapy.

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 had been pressured to enter the grounds to disperse the gang and take away the stones and rocks, as a way to stop additional violence,” it tweeted.

The police mentioned they waited till prayers had been over and the crowds began to disperse. In an announcement, 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 massive 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 had 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 seek advice from 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, dwelling to Al-Aqsa and different main holy websites, within the 1967 struggle 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 unbiased state together with the West Financial institution and Gaza, which Israel additionally captured throughout the struggle practically 55 years in the past.

Tensions have soared in latest weeks following a collection of assaults by Palestinians that killed 14 individuals 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.

No less than 25 Palestinians have been killed within the latest wave of violence, in line with an Related Press depend, lots of whom had carried out assaults or had been concerned within the clashes, but additionally an unarmed lady and a lawyer who seems to have been killed by mistake.

Weeks of protests and clashes in Jerusalem throughout Ramadan final 12 months finally ignited an 11-day struggle 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 caused one other cycle of unrest.

Hamas condemned what it mentioned had been “brutal assaults” on worshippers at Al-Aqsa by Israeli forces, saying Israel would bear “all the implications.” It referred to as on all Palestinians to “stand by our individuals in Jerusalem.”

Earlier this week, Hamas and different militant teams in Gaza had referred to 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 in recent times nationalist and spiritual Jews have visited the location in massive numbers with police escorts.

In latest weeks, a radical Jewish group had referred to as on individuals to convey animals to the location as a way to sacrifice them for Passover, providing money rewards for individuals who succeeded and even tried. Israeli police work to stop such actions, however the name was extensively circulated by Palestinians on social media, together with requires Muslims to stop any sacrifices from going down.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall, issued an announcement calling on Muslim leaders to behave to cease the violence. It additionally famous that “bringing a sacrifice to the Temple Mount in the present day is in opposition to the choice of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.”