AP, Jerusalem
Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protesters inside a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site on Monday. Officers fired tear gas and stun grenades and protesters hurled stones and other objects at police.
Police said protesters threw stones from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound onto an adjoining roadway. Palestinians reported stun grenades fired into the mosque compound, with dozens injured.
The site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is considered the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. The compound is the emotional epicentre of the conflict and has been centre stage for Israel-Palestinian violence in the past.
Earlier police barred Jews from visiting the site on Monday, which Israelis mark as Jerusalem Day. The policy decision came hours before a planned march by hardline Israeli nationalists through the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, an annual event widely perceived as a provocative display of Jewish hegemony over the contested city.
Police have allowed the flag-waving parade to take place despite growing concerns that it could further fan the flames.
