BICOM

Clashes on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between Israeli police officers and dozens of young Palestinians continued for several hours yesterday. According to reports, approximately 25 Palestinians were wounded while one police officer sustained light injuries.

According to reports, similar to previous incidents of violence on the Temple Mount, Palestinians had amassed rocks to use as missiles and barricaded themselves within the Al-Aqsa mosque, lobbing rocks and firecrackers at the police through the mosque doors. The police meanwhile used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd or at least to push the protesters further into the mosque.

The riots can be seen as part of a broader trend of increased tension over the holy site, with some religious groups in Israel promoting a change of the status quo which currently forbids Jews to pray on the Mount. Meanwhile, some Palestinian religious leaders have been accused of spreading rumours that Israel is trying to destroy the mosque and others rejecting any religious connection whatsoever between the Jewish people and the holy site.

Israel maintains security and legal control over the Temple Mount while the Muslim Waqf has religious, economic, administrative, and some security control at the site.