Palestinians and police clash on Temple Mount
Protesters throw rocks at cops, hold up pictures of slain Palestinian baby; no injuries reported
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Clashes broke out on Sunday at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.
Police said masked Palestinian youths at the mosque threw stones at security forces. while protesters held aloft photographs of the 18-month-old Palestinian child killed in Friday’s firebombing attack in the West Bank, allegedly by Jewish extremists.
Israeli media reported that security forces later sought to create a barrier between the stone-throwers and tourists visiting the mosque complex, the third-holiest site in Islam and the holiest for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.
Calm began to return to the hilltop complex in Jerusalem’s Old City later in the morning, an AFP photographer reported.
A wave of protests has swept the West Bank since Friday’s firebombing, which also critically wounded the toddler’s four-year-old brother and their parents.
There have also been demonstrations by Israelis and calls for a crackdown on Jewish extremists.
On Saturday, clashes broke out at Jalazoun refugee camp in the West Bank, where a funeral took place for Laith Khaldi, 16, who, the army said, was shot by soldiers Friday night after hurling a Molotov cocktail. He succumbed to his wounds early Saturday.
Clashes had also rocked al-Aqsa a week ago when Palestinians were angered over Jews’ access to the compound on Tisha B’av, an annual day of Jewish mourning. Visits are allowed to the complex, but Jewish prayer is prohibited.
Israeli police briefly entered the mosque during those clashes to shut the doors and lock rioters inside.
The Times of Israel Community.