Jerusalem
At least 150 injured in clashes on Temple Mount
Demonstrators seek shelter from rubber bullets fired by Israeli security forces on the Temple Mount
© Mostafa Alkharouf/ / Picture Alliance
Serious clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem have left numerous injured. After several deadly attacks, tensions between the two camps continue to escalate.
Around 150 people were injured in violent clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli security forces on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. As the Palestinian Red Crescent reported, 90 people were taken to hospitals. Dozens of injured people would still be treated at the site. Eyewitnesses and an AFP photographer reported Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli security forces. They fired rubber bullets at some Palestinian demonstrators.
The Israeli police spoke of three injured in their ranks. Around 4:00 a.m., “dozens of masked young rioters,” some of whom carried flags from the armed Islamist Hamas movement, began a “procession” on the Temple Mount. They threw stones at the adjacent Western Wall, Judaism’s most important place of worship, whereupon the Israeli security forces said they intervened to “restore order”.
Israel: Situation tense after series of attacks
After a series of attacks that killed a total of 14, tensions between Palestinians and Israeli security forces had recently increased significantly. Three Palestinians were killed on Thursday after operations by the Israeli army in the West Bank. A total of 21 Palestinians have died in the violence over the past three weeks.
The growing tensions coincide with the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan. Last year, clashes on the Temple Mount and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque led to days of heavy fighting between the radical Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Israeli security forces.
Further clashes feared
The area with the mosque and the adjoining Dome of the Rock is considered the third holiest site in Islam. The site, referred to by the Jews as the Temple Mount, is administered by Jordan, but Israel controls the entrances. Because of fears of renewed escalation, Israeli and Jordanian officials had intensified talks before the start of Ramadan on how clashes between Palestinians and security forces could be prevented.
This weekend in particular, in the middle of Ramadan, authorities feared clashes in Jerusalem as Christian Easter celebrations and Jewish Passover celebrations kicked off with prayers at the Western Wall — a rare coincidence in the calendars of the three major monotheistic religions.
On Friday evening, the Jewish Passover begins, which will also attract believers and visitors. The Ministry of Tourism expects a total of 30,000 foreign tourists this week. In addition, despite a bloody wave of terror in Israel, thousands of Christians want to reenact Jesus’ Way of the Cross in Jerusalem on Good Friday. A massive police presence is expected, especially in the old town.