Clashes erupt at Jerusalem holy site, 67 Palestinians hurt

JERUSALEM — Israeli safety forces entered the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem earlier than daybreak as hundreds of Palestinians have been gathered for prayers throughout the holy month of Ramadan, setting off clashes that medics mentioned wounded a minimum of 67 Palestinians.

Israel mentioned its forces entered to take away rocks and stones that had been gathered in anticipation of violence. The holy website, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, has typically been the epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian unrest, and tensions have been already heightened amid a latest wave of violence.

The clashes come at a very delicate time. Ramadan this yr coincides with Passover, a serious weeklong Jewish vacation starting Friday at sunset, and Christian holy week, which culminates on Easter Sunday. The vacations are anticipated to carry tens of hundreds of trustworthy into Jerusalem’s Previous Metropolis, residence to main websites sacred to all three religions.

Movies circulating on-line confirmed Palestinians hurling rocks and police firing tear gasoline and stun grenades on the sprawling esplanade surrounding the mosque. Others confirmed worshippers barricading themselves contained in the mosque itself amid what seemed to be clouds of tear gasoline.

The Palestinian Purple Crescent emergency service mentioned it evacuated 67 folks to hospitals who had been wounded by rubber-coated bullets or stun grenades, or overwhelmed with batons. The endowment mentioned one of many guards on the website was shot within the eye with a rubber bullet.

The Israeli police mentioned three officers have been wounded from “huge stone-throwing,” with two evacuated from the scene for therapy.

The Israeli Overseas Ministry mentioned dozens of masked males carrying Palestinian and Hamas flags marched to the compound early Friday and gathered stones.

“Police have been pressured to enter the grounds to disperse the group and take away the stones and rocks, so as to stop additional violence,” it tweeted.

The police mentioned they waited till prayers have been over and the crowds began to disperse. In a press release, it mentioned crowds began hurling rocks within the path of the Western Wall, a close-by Jewish holy website, forcing them to behave. They mentioned they didn’t enter the mosque itself.

Palestinians view any massive deployment of police at Al-Aqsa as a serious provocation.

The mosque is the third holiest website in Islam. It’s constructed on a hilltop in Jerusalem’s Previous Metropolis that’s the most sacred website for Jews, who consult with it because the Temple Mount as a result of it was the positioning of the Jewish temples in antiquity. It has been a serious flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence for many years and was the epicenter of the 2000-2005 Palestinian intifada, or rebellion.

Tensions have soared in latest weeks following a sequence of assaults by Palestinians that killed 14 folks inside Israel. Israel has carried out a wave of arrests and navy operations throughout the occupied West Financial institution, setting off clashes with Palestinians.

The Palestinian Well being Ministry mentioned a 17-year-old died early Friday from wounds suffered throughout clashes with Israeli forces in Jenin, within the occupied West Financial institution, the day earlier than.

No less than 25 Palestinians have been killed within the latest wave of violence, based on an Related Press rely, a lot of whom had carried out assaults or have been concerned within the clashes, but additionally an unarmed lady and a lawyer who seems to have been killed by mistake.

Tens of hundreds of Palestinians have been anticipated to assemble at Al-Aqsa for noon Friday prayers.

Weeks of protests and clashes in Jerusalem throughout Ramadan final yr finally ignited an 11-day conflict with the Islamic militant group Hamas, which guidelines the Gaza Strip.

Israel had lifted restrictions and brought different steps to attempt to calm tensions forward of Ramadan, however the assaults and the navy raids have led to one other cycle of unrest.

Hamas condemned what it mentioned have been “brutal assaults” on worshippers at Al-Aqsa by Israeli forces, saying Israel would bear “all the implications.” It referred to as on all Palestinians to “stand by our folks in Jerusalem.”

Earlier this week, Hamas and different militant teams in Gaza had referred to as on Palestinians to camp out on the Al-Aqsa mosque over the weekend. Palestinians have lengthy feared that Israel plans to take over the positioning or partition it.

Israeli authorities say they’re dedicated to sustaining the established order, however lately nationalist and non secular Jews have visited the positioning in massive numbers with police escorts.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, residence to Al-Aqsa and different main holy websites, within the 1967 conflict and annexed it in a transfer not acknowledged internationally. Palestinians need the japanese a part of the town to be the capital of a future unbiased state together with the West Financial institution and Gaza, which Israel additionally captured throughout the conflict practically 55 years in the past.