Israeli police at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount clashed Sunday with Muslims protesting Jewish visits there as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan approached its climax, Palestinians said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that it took seven Palestinians to an East Jerusalem hospital for treatment of injuries caused by sponge-tipped bullets, tear gas and beatings at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
At least one police officer was injured in the clashes, police said.
Police said that officers at the Old City site arrested four masked youths “who were disrupting visits on the Temple Mount” by non-Muslims.
A police spokesman questioned by AFP said he was not aware of officers using force.
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A Palestinian man clears the damage at the entrance of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City after clashes erupted at the compound between Palestinians and Israeli police on June 26, 2016 during the holy month of Ramadan. (AFP PHOTO / AHMAD GHARABLI)
Islamic officials said that trouble began when Israel allowed the visitors into the compound in breach of a tradition which only allows worshipers to enter during the last 10 days of Ramadan, which are now in progress.
They said they were taken by surprise at the appearance of the visitors and a group of Muslim youths protested, before retreating to Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The 10 days, which began on Sunday, are the most solemn for Muslims and the period attracts the highest number of worshipers to the site.
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Clashes on the sensitive holy site in the past have sparked wider Palestinian violence in Jerusalem and beyond.
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