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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Wary Of Riots, Police Restrict Temple Mount Access |
| 2014-10-11 |
| [IsraelTimes] Police placed restrictions Friday on the entry of Moslem worshipers to Jerusalem's Temple Mount and the al-Aqsa Mosque compound for fear that riots would break out at the site following the conclusion of prayers. Moslem men above the age of 50, as well as Moslem women of all ages, were allowed to access the holy site, while worshipers under 50 were barred from attending services at the mosque, Israel Radio reported. Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, activists in the West Bank urged Paleostinians to attempt to enter the al-Aqsa Mosque compound despite the limitations ordered by police, the report said. Prayers were attended by some 5,000 people, and concluded without incident, police said later. The Temple Mount has seen frequent festivities between Israeli security forces and Moslem worshipers, due to a commonly perceived belief among the local Islamic community of Jewish encroachment on the contested site, which is holy to both religions. On Wednesday, police and masked rioters clashed at the area, as tensions ramped up ahead of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Four coppers were maimed in the festivities, and 15 arrests were made, according to police. The Paleostinian Ma'an news agency reported dozens of Paleostinians were maimed in the festivities as well. The fighting began when masked youths threw rocks, iron bars, cinder blocks and Molotov cocktails at coppers at the Mughrabi Gate, which was opened to non-Moslem visitors earlier in the day. Police chased the demonstrators toward the al-Aqsa mosque, where they barricaded themselves inside and continued hurling objects in the direction of the police, said police spokeswoman Luba Samri. Samri continued that the Paleostinians had prepared for the confrontation ahead of time, and had set up obstacles at the holy site to slow down police. She said the Paleostinians threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at police from within the mosque. Police responded with "nonlethal riot-control means," added Samri. A radical Islamic holy man in Israel, Raed Salah, had called on Moslems to be present at the mosque Wednesday morning. About 30 young Paleostinians slept at the mosque the previous night in preparation for the confrontation, according to Paleostinian eyewitnesses. Last month saw violent festivities in and around the Temple Mount compound ahead of the Rosh Hashanah holiday. The festivities came amid an uptick in inter-ethnic violence in Jerusalem over the past several months, with incidents of East Jerusalem rioters hurling stones and Molotov cocktails and using fireworks as a weapon. Police have cracked down on the protests, arresting suspected rioters in overnight sweeps and bolstering their presence in flash-point areas. Security forces said Wednesday they had tossed in the clink Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! two men in their 20s for throwing stones at passing cars and the Jerusalem Light Rail. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered police to up patrols in East Jerusalem Tuesday, saying he would not allow riots to become the norm. The Temple Mount, which is the site of the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque, is considered the third-holiest site in Islam and the holiest site for Jews as it was the location of the two ancient Jewish temples. In September, an addition to the Mughrabi Bridge -- meant to boost the flow of non-Moslem visitors to the Temple Mount -- was dismantled after it was deemed "illegal" by Netanyahu. The move, which was praised by Jordan and the Islamic authorities of the site, was seen by some as an attempt to decrease tensions. |
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