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Clashes erupt in Jerusalem amid Temple Mount unrest
[IsraelTimes] Rioters block roads, hurl stones, Molotov cocktails at police in Old City, East Jerusalem neighborhoods over new security measures; at least 5 injuredDozens of Moslems protesters clashed with police outside of Jerusalem’s Old City on Monday amid continued tensions over new security measures put in place at the entrance to the Temple Mount after Friday’s terror attack. During the scuffles near Lions Gate, coppers called to the scene to disperse protesters blocking a road adjacent to the Old City were attacked with rocks and other objects, police said. The Red Islamic Thingy told the Paleostinian Wafa news agency that five protesters were maimed during the confrontations, including the chairman of the Paleostinian National Initiative party, Mustafa Barghouti. The Wafa report said that three people were maimed after being beaten by police, one person was injured by a stun grenade and Barghouti was hit in the head with a rubber-coated bullet. Clashes were also reported in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Silwan and Issawiya. Rioters hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at coppers who responded with riot-dispersal means. Following Friday’s terror attack, in which three residents of the Arab-Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm shot to death two coppers at the Temple Mount, Israel closed the compound for the first time in decades, only reopening it to Moslems on Sunday and to non-Moslems on Monday. As part of the security measures taken in the wake of the shooting to prevent further such attacks, police installed metal detectors at the entrance to the site, which Jerusalem police commissioner Yoram Halevi said were necessary for it to reopen. Friday’s gunnies emerged armed from the compound and opened fire on the coppers stationed outside. The placement of the metal detectors has been met with outrage by the Moslem religious authority charged with managing the Temple Mount. Moslems have held prayers outside the metal detectors to protest their placement at the gates. Along with other Islamic groups, the Waqf trust, which administers the site, on Monday called on Moslems "to reject and boycott all the Israeli aggression measures, including changing the historical status quo including imposing the metal detectors." In its statement, the Waqf called on the faithful not to enter the mosque by passing through the metal detectors, adding, "If the metal detectors continue to be imposed, we call upon the people to pray in front of the gates of the mosque and in the streets of Jerusalem." On Monday afternoon, light festivities broke out in the Old City, when police ordered a group of Moslem protesters off a road they were trying to block with a prayer session. Police said a Moslem teenager was locked away You have the right to remain silent... after throwing a bottle at police. Posted by: trailing wife 2017-07-18 |
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