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Clashes break out in Old City as Temple Mount tensions heat up
[IsraelTimes] Dozens injured in third straight night of fighting; police say many Moslem worshipers continue entering the holy site despite Waqf boycott callClashes broke out between Moslem worshipers and police in the Old City of Jerusalem for the third night in a row on Tuesday, in response to Israel placing metal detectors at entrances to the Temple Mount compound following a terror attack in the area. According to police, after evening prayers at a gate outside the Temple Mount, a group of Moslem worshipers "started throwing rocks and bottles at the officers" who were stationed in the Old City. In response, the officers used riot dispersal equipment -- notably rubber bullets and stun grenades -- to break up the festivities, police said. In videos from the scene, people can be seen running away as stun grenades echo across the Old City’s narrow alleyways. The Red Islamic Thingy said 34 people were maimed, including 14 people needing hospitalization. One person had a serious chest injury, a spokesperson said. Police said two officers were lightly injured in the fighting. Police said the area had calmed after the festivities. "The area’s quiet," a police spokesperson said. Similar festivities broke out at the site on Sunday and Monday nights as well, as Moslem worshipers held protest prayers against the metal detectors outside the Temple Mount gates. On Tuesday evening, politicians from the Joint (Arab) List visited the Lions Gate outside the Temple Mount compound, also calling for removal of the detectors. "We who seek peace and not war call on [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to immediately cancel the decision [to install the detectors] and return the situation to what it was before, to allow freedom of worship without any limits," said MKs Ahmad Tibi and Osama Sa’adi in a statement. To protest the new security measures, Waqf officials have staged protests in the Old City, gathering large groups of men to pray just outside the Temple Mount and encouraging others to avoid entering the flashpoint holy site. However, death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... these protests, which begin peacefully, often develop into minor festivities between the worshipers and police. Earlier on Tuesday evening, the police said that while many Moslem worshipers had decided to protest the metal detectors, others have accepted them and visited the Temple Mount. The assertion came as members the Waqf trust, which administers the holy site, persisted in their calls for Moslems not to enter through the metal detectors installed Sunday. The police statement added that visits from Jews and tourists also continued Tuesday, though not without incident. Security forces removed two Jewish visitors from the compound, detaining them for further questioning. "The Israel Police continues to act to enable a return to a safe routine in the Temple Mount area, its entrances and the wider area," the statement said. Non-Moslems are allowed to visit the site but are prohibited from praying there. The Paleostinian Fatah movement has called for a "Day of Rage" on Wednesday to protest the new security measures.
Posted by: trailing wife 2017-07-19 |
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