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Israeli police entered the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday to secure the path for Jewish visitors to the holy site of the flashpoint, sparking clashes that left 17 Palestinians injured, according to Palestinian medics.
The riots came just two days after clashes with Palestinians in the same place. Violence in Jerusalem between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators escalated a year ago into an 11-day Gaza war.
The hilltop compound in which the mosque is located is the third holiest site in Islam while it is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. The competing claims to the site have sparked numerous rounds of violence.
This year, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Christian holy week culminating on Easter Sunday and the week-long Jewish Passover are all happening at the same time, with tens of thousands of visitors pouring into the city after coronavirus restrictions were mostly lifted.
Israeli police accused the Palestinians of “defiling and desecrating” a holy site, while Palestinian officials accused Israel of attempting to share the sensitive holy site. “What happened at Al-Aqsa Mosque is a dangerous escalation, the consequences of which must be borne solely by the Israeli government,” said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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Police said they entered the site to facilitate routine visits by Jews to the holy site. They said the Palestinians had been stockpiling stones and erecting barriers in anticipation of violence.
Amateur videos circulating on social media appeared to show police officers beating arrested Palestinians with batons and evacuating people from the esplanade, accusing them of using excessive force. In one video, an officer beat an apparently unarmed man as he stood next to a child.
Omer Barlev, the Israeli minister in charge of police, said it was important to guarantee freedom of religion, “but we will not compromise when violence and terror take place”.
Police cleared the Palestinians from the sprawling esplanade in front of the mosque itself early Sunday, while dozens of Palestinians stayed inside the building and chanted “God is Greatest.” Video released by police showed small groups of youths throwing stones, as well as firecrackers being fired from inside the mosque.
The Israeli police will be deployed in the Old City of Jerusalem on Sunday, April 17, 2022. Israeli police clashed with Palestinians in front of Al-Aqsa Mosque after police cleared the Palestinians out of the sprawling compound to facilitate routine visits by Jews to the holy site and charged Palestinians with stones in anticipation of violence to hoard. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians reported brief clashes with Israeli police just outside the mosque compound, while police said Palestinians threw stones at buses outside the Old City. Five people riding on buses were treated for minor injuries in the attacks, according to paramedics.
Police released a video showing a crowd of youths throwing stones at a passing bus outside the old town. Another police video captured on one of the buses showed Jewish families sitting on the floor of the advancing vehicle.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett ordered additional security on public buses going to the Old City after a situation assessment with senior defense officials.
“On the one hand, we are working to calm the situation and, on the other hand, we are taking vigorous action against violent individuals,” he said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Medical Service said 17 Palestinians were injured, including five people who were hospitalized. The Israeli police reported nine arrests. Around noon, witnesses said the police had left the premises.
Jordan, which acts as guardian of the holy site, issued a statement condemning Israel’s actions, saying it “undermines all efforts made to maintain overall calm and prevent the escalation of violence, security, and security.” and threatened peace”.
According to a long-standing agreement, Jews are allowed to visit the Temple Mount but are not allowed to pray there. For decades, Jews avoided worship there for religious reasons.
Israeli authorities say they are committed to maintaining the status quo, but in recent years large groups of nationalist and religious Jews have regularly visited the compound with police escorts, in what Palestinians see as a provocation. Visitor numbers often increase on religious holidays. Palestinian officials said nearly 550 Jewish visitors entered the compound, compared to just a few dozen most days.
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Such practices have fueled concerns among Palestinians that Israel plans to take over or carve up the Al-Aqsa Mosque site. Israel firmly denies such claims and says it is committed to protecting religious freedom for all.
Clashes erupted before dawn on Friday after police said Palestinians had hurled stones at the Western Wall, a neighboring Jewish holy site. Police went into action and clashed with dozens of Palestinians shortly after morning prayers.
Israel captured East Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the 1967 war. The Palestinians want a future state in all three areas. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in an internationally unrecognized move and is building and expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank. Hamas controls Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group seized power in 2007.
A radical Jewish group recently called on people to bring animals to the site to be sacrificed for Passover, offering cash rewards to those who succeeded or even tried. Israeli police are working to prevent such activities, but the call has been widely shared by Palestinians on social media, along with calls for Muslims to prevent casualties.
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Israeli police accused the Palestinians of spreading disinformation on social media and escalating tensions.