JERUSALEM: Israeli police closed the gates to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for several hours on Friday after clashes erupted with Palestinian worshippers following midday prayers at the flashpoint site.
For around four hours all entry into and out of the mosque, which is Islam’s third holiest site, was prevented by Israeli officers, an AFP photographer said, following clashes inside.
The compound was reopened in the early evening, with worshippers flooding in to pray, the photographer said.
Police said the clashes were sparked after Friday midday prayers as “rioters started to throw fireworks directly at police.”
“Police entered the compound and began evacuating the site. During dispersal of the rioters police arrested a number of suspects,” a statement said.
The Waqf, the religious authority that governs the site, published videos showing police firing tear gas at Palestinians inside the mosque compound.
Police later surrounded the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which shares the compound with the gold-topped Dome of the Rock, before entering they said to arrest “several dozen rioters who continued to blockade themselves” in the building. Jordan criticized the Israeli measures.
In a statement, a government spokesman condemned the “ongoing violations and provocations against the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially the Israeli police storming the mosque today and its aggression against the worshippers.”
Ahmed Tibi, an Arab member of the Israeli Parliament, accused Israeli officials of overreacting.
After the fireworks were thrown, he told AFP at the site, “it was calm, why did they close the gates?“
“There is nothing justifying closing them.”
The mosque is a rallying point for Palestinians and Muslims generally, who fear Israel is seeking to change the so-called status quo arrangement at the site.
In July 2017, tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed outside for weeks after Israel installed new metal detectors following an attack at Al-Aqsa, eventually forcing a government u-turn.
Palestinians say a visit to the site by right wing Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked the second intifada, or uprising, in 2000, though Israel disputes this.
Fresh Palestinian protests were taking place along the Gaza-Israel border on Friday evening, a week after an Israeli soldier was shot dead there.
One Palestinian was shot dead near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the Health Ministry in Gaza said.
Al-Aqsa Mosque reopens after clashes
Al-Aqsa Mosque reopens after clashes
- The Waqf published videos showing police firing tear gas at Palestinians inside the mosque compound
- Palestinians say a visit to the site by right wing Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked the second intifada IN 2000
Palestinians from West Bank arrive at Israeli checkpoints for first Friday prayers of Ramadan
Palestinian worshippers coming from West Bank cities arrived at Israeli checkpoints on Friday hoping to cross to attend first Friday prayers of Ramadan at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Some said they were not allowed to enter and were asked to go back.
Israeli authorities said they would only allow up to 10,000 Palestinian worshippers from the West Bank to attend prayers at al-Aqsa, as security forces stepped up deployments across the city.
Police said preparations for Ramadan had been completed, with large numbers of officers and border police to be deployed in the Old City, around holy sites and along routes used by worshippers.
Israel's COGAT, a military agency that controls access to the West Bank and Gaza, said that entry to Jerusalem from the West Bank would be capped at 10,000 worshippers. Men aged 55 and over and women aged 50 and over will be eligible to enter, along with children up to age 12 accompanied by a first-degree relative, COGAT said.
Al-Aqsa lies at the heart of Jerusalem's old city. It is Islam's third holiest site and known to Jews as Temple Mount.
