Clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli police on Temple Mount early Friday morning as rising tensions, threats of terror and the observance of major holidays gather around the holy site.
Clashes between police and worshipers at the scene were reported around 6:30 a.m. as officers entered the complex and clashed with people barricaded inside.
Police said in a statement that around 4 a.m., dozens of young people began marching in the area, carrying flags from both the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Hamas terrorist group ruling Gaza.
Protesters threw stones and fireworks as they piled up stones and other items to prepare for further clashes, police said.
Police said they waited for the morning prayers to end before entering the Temple Mount to disperse the rebels, and that some of them were throwing stones at the Western Wall below.
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According to police, some Palestinians barricaded themselves in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, throwing stones at officers. A police statement said the riots prevented prayers in the mosque and “thus harming a large number of Muslims” who want to worship there.
Police said three police officers were slightly injured after being pelted with stones, two of whom needed medical attention.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Emergency Group said 67 people were injured in the clashes.
Police released a video of the scene.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying officials had not entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. The temple hill is the holiest place in Judaism.
“Masked men are throwing stones and setting off fireworks, desecrating the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the statement said. “Contrary to false reports, police forces have NOT entered the mosque.”
Masked men throw stones and set off fireworks, desecrating the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Contrary to false reports, police forces did NOT enter the mosque. pic.twitter.com/IaXnXbcDts
– Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@IsraelMFA) April 15, 2022
Fears of violence were already in the sky before Friday morning’s fighting.
This Friday is the second during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the first night of the weekly Passover of Judaism and Good Friday, when Christians celebrate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Meanwhile, a series of deadly terrorist attacks in Israel in recent weeks have killed 14 people and left Israel in trouble. The attacks sparked countermeasures by Israeli security forces across the West Bank, including arrests that turned violent.
Hamas called for an escalation against Israel on Thursday and called for “hundreds of thousands” to attend Friday’s prayers in Jerusalem, further fueling fears of conflict.
Thousands of police and hundreds of soldiers have been sent to the capital to increase security on the streets and crowds. Security forces have warned of attempts to carry out further attacks and are working to close gaps in the separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank.
Palestinians burn tires while blocking the streets leading to Joseph’s tomb near the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus, April 11, 2022 (Nasser Ishtayeh / Flash90)
Border Police Operations Chief Oded Aflalo told Ynet on Thursday that the forces are on high alert.
“Today is the day we are in the midst of preparing for the night of Seder, combined with Friday prayers for Ramadan,” he said, referring to the traditional dinner on the first night of Easter. “All possible scenarios are on the table, from the level of a threatening individual to a terrorist cell of a terrorist organization.
He said border police were working to find Palestinians who had already been to Israel illegally.
A senior police officer told Ynet that additional officers would guard the stations and bus stops, which are expected to be full of passengers and soldiers returning from the base. The police officer also said that there will be increased security in hotels and other facilities that will host big dinners at Seder.
The Palestinian Authority’s security forces are cooperating with their Israeli counterparts and most of the Palestinian public is not expected to take to the streets, Channel 12 reported.
IDF soldiers seen in action in the West Bank on April 13, 2022 (Israeli Defense Forces)
A senior security official told Channel 12 that the outbreak of violence could drag Israel into a new round of fighting in Gaza, such as last year’s war with Hamas.
“If there is an escalation tomorrow and there are casualties, we could reach Operation Guardian of the Walls, second round,” he said, referring to the 2021 conflict.
Ramadan is usually a period of high tension, as tens of thousands of pilgrims, including many Palestinians from the West Bank, attend services at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, located on top of the Temple Mount complex. The place is the holiest place of Judaism, and the mosque is the third holiest place of Islam.
The site is the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and tensions there could easily lead to wider fires. Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist groups have repeatedly referred to the holy site of ignition as a red line. The actions of the police for suppressing the riots there last year helped challenge the 11-day War in Gaza in May.
Palestinians attend afternoon prayers on the Temple Mount, home of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in the Old City of Jerusalem, on April 8, 2022, the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (Ahmad Garabli / AFP)
This week, a group of Jewish extremists sparked tensions by publicly promoting ritual sacrifices for the Passover on the Temple Mount. Jews are allowed to visit the complex, but not to pray or perform religious rituals as part of the delicate status quo.
The extremist group Returning to the Mount, which advocates the construction of a third Jewish temple on the site of the two biblical temples, announced on Facebook on Monday that it would offer a cash prize to those who manage to sacrifice a lamb on Temple Mount. and to anyone arrested trying to do so.
A small group of Jewish extremists occasionally seek to make biblical Passover sacrificial offerings on the Temple Mount. Police regularly detain perpetrators who do not appear to have made a successful sacrifice in recent years.
This year’s campaign of future victims has become hugely popular in the Palestinian and Arab media following a social media post that drew threats from Hamas and condemnation from Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. Israeli authorities have promised to stop all attempts to bring sacrificial animals into the complex, as they have done in previous years.
On Thursday, Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza said in a joint statement: “We are announcing a joint mobilization in all places where our people are. We call on the masses to come out with hundreds of thousands to protect our nation and our mosque. “
Yahya Sinwar, leader of the Hamas terrorist group, hosts a meeting with members of Palestinian factions at the Hamas president’s office in Gaza City on April 13, 2022 (Attia Muhammed / Flash90)
“We call on our people to march and come out with hundreds of thousands to hold Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa,” the groups said.
Six Jews were arrested Thursday morning after police suspected they were planning to sacrifice a goat on Temple Mount before Easter.
Israel has told Hamas that Israeli authorities will not allow Jewish extremists to make sacrifices on the Temple Mount, Hamas spokesman Saleh al-Aruri told Hamas media.
Al-Aruri said Hamas did not believe Israel’s assurances and that the terrorist group was preparing to respond to attempts to “desecrate Al-Aqsa”.
Tens of thousands were already expected to attend Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa. Most Ramadan worshipers will cross into Israel without permits, part of a policy to loosen Israel’s normally strict restrictions on Palestinian movement for the holiday. The presence of Palestinians from the West Bank is limited to women, children and men over the age of 50, according to orders issued by the Ministry of Defense earlier this month.
Admission of thousands of Palestinians poses a clear risk to Israel’s security, but restricting pilgrims during Ramadan could spark an outbreak of violence.
In addition to the holiday frictions, Israeli troops have carried out extensive raids in the West Bank after the deadliest outbreak of terror in Israel in years. The raids led to violent protests in many West Bank communities.
At least 16 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with ISIS in the past two weeks alone, including a 17-year-old boy who died Friday morning from wounds received the day before.
A total of 18 suspects have been arrested in the West Bank in the past few days, the IDF said on Thursday.
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