July 21, 2017 Three dead as clashes erupt over Jerusalem holy site AFP / AHMAD GHARABLI Three Palestinian

July 21, 2017

Three dead as clashes erupt over Jerusalem holy site

اقتباس :

AFP / AHMAD GHARABLI

Three Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded Friday in clashes between protesters and Israeli forces over new security measures at an ultra-sensitive Jerusalem holy site where police restricted access for Muslim prayers.

The unrest came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following an attack nearby a week ago that killed two policemen.

In anticipation of protests on Friday, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering the Old City in annexed east Jerusalem for prayers, while all women were allowed in.

Police said later in the day that discretion could be applied in the use of the metal detectors instead of forcing everyone to go through them.

But Palestinian and religious leaders were still calling on worshippers not to enter until they were removed.

Hundreds held midday prayers in the streets near the gates of the Old City in protest. According to police, dozens of people entered the compound.

"They turned back everyone who came here to pray but then I told them I was going to the doctor, but they did not let me in," said Ulfat Hamad, 42, who was visiting from the United States.

"I am going to pray here with the others," he said outside the walls.

Crowds gathered outside Jerusalem's Old City found shops closed and streets around Damascus Gate -- the entrance most heavily used by Palestinians -- blocked.

A group of several hundred people, including Muslim leaders, marched towards the Lions Gate entrance to the mosque compound, but police informed them that only men aged 50 or over would be allowed in.

AFP / Ahmad GHARABLI
Palestinians hurl stones at Israeli forces after they used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse Muslim worshippers following protest prayers held outside Jerusalem's Old City on July 21, 2017

Police later fired stun grenades and tear gas towards protesters outside the Old City, while Palestinians threw stones and other objects at security forces in some areas.

One Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli gunfire in the A-Tur neighbourhood of east Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

A second Palestinian was killed by gunfire in east Jerusalem's Ras al-Amud district, while a third was shot dead in Abu Dis in the occupied West Bank, the ministry said, without providing details.

Israel's army confirmed it was involved in clashes in Abu Dis.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 391 people were wounded in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Thirty-eight of those injured in Jerusalem were taken to hospital. In the West Bank, 98 injuries were caused by live or rubber bullets fired by Israeli forces, it said.

Israeli police reported 29 arrests in Jerusalem and the West Bank, adding that five officers were lightly injured, coming under attack with stones and fireworks.

- 'Extremely dangerous' -

Tensions have risen since police installed the metal detectors in a move Palestinians and other Muslims perceive as a means for Israel to boost its control over the compound containing the revered Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock.

The controversy has resonated beyond Israel and the Palestinian territories, with the United States and the UN Middle East envoy expressing concern.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas spoke with US counterpart Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, urging the White House to intervene, the Palestinians' official Wafa news agency reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Israel to remove the detectors. He spoke by telephone with both Abbas and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the metal detectors were intended to ensure the safety of worshippers and visitors and not an attempt to disturb the fragile status quo under which Jordan is custodian of the site and Jewish prayer is forbidden.

اقتباس :: AFP / AHMAD GHARABLI
Palestinians pray outside Jerusalem's Old City on July 21, 2017, after Israel denied entry to men under 50 in the face of protests over new security measures at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound whose landmark golden dome is visible in the background

Palestinians have been refusing to enter the compound all week in protest at the metal detectors.

The main weekly prayers on Fridays draw the largest number of worshippers -- typically thousands -- and speculation had been mounting that Netanyahu might order the metal detectors removed.

But after consultations with security chiefs and members of his security cabinet, Netanyahu decided not to do so.

- Day of 'rage' -

The metal detectors were put in place following a gun and knife attack near the holy compound that killed two Israeli policemen on July 14.

Three Arab Israeli assailants fled to the compound after the attack, where they were shot dead by security forces.

Israeli police said the weapons were smuggled into the holy site which was then used as the launchpad for the attack.

Israel initially closed the compound for two days following the attack in a highly unusual move, shutting it for last Friday's prayers.

Israel began reopening it on Sunday, but with metal detectors in place to prevent weapons being smuggled inside.

اقتباس :: AFP / Ahmad GHARABLI
Israeli forces disperse Palestinian worshippers following prayers held outside Jerusalem's Old City on July 21, 2017 after police denied entry to men under 50 in the face of protests over new security measures at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound

In the Gaza Strip, Islamist movement Hamas had called for "a day of rage" on Friday over the measures.

In the West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinians also prayed outdoors in support of the Al-Aqsa protests and clashed with Israeli soldiers.

The Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It lies in east Jerusalem, seized by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

It is considered the third holiest site in Islam and the most sacred for Jews.