Dozens of Palestinians were injured when Israeli security forces fired live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at protesters in West Bank cities including Silwad, Ramallah, Kafr Qaddum, Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarem and Qalqilia, Maan reported.
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The Israeli authorities said rioters had barricaded themselves inside the compound, and were attempting to disrupt Jewish worshippers visiting the site, which is also revered in Judaism, ahead of the Rosh Hashanah (New Year) celebrations on Sunday 13 September.
The arrests took place in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Issawiya, on Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus, after young demonstrators threw rocks at police, a statement said.
Known to Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary), the compound houses the famous golden Dome of the Rock shrine and Al-Aqsa mosque. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Jews are allowed to visit the site, which they call the Temple Mount, but can not pray there to avoid raising further tensions. Abbas claimed Israel is trying to divide the Temple Mount between Jews and Muslims in terms of prayer facilities and accessibility.
Israeli fighter jets launched two attacks on the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
“Any more provocation in Jerusalem will affect the relationship between Jordan and Israel“, Abdullah said.
“The events witness exacerbate the desperation of Palestinians in light of the lack of a political horizon giving them hope to establish a Palestinian state on all Palestinian national territories with East Jerusalem as its capital”, he continued.
Palestinians on Friday organized protests against those restrictions, and in solidarity with their counterparts in East Jerusalem, Palestinian news website Maan News reported.
Salman told the leaders during his calls Thursday that “such aggression flagrantly violates the holiness of religions and gives a hand to fan extremism and violence in the entire world“, the report said.
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“We will use all necessary measures to fight against those who throw stones, firebombs, pipebombs and fireworks in order to attack civilians and police”, Netanyahu said Tuesday after a meeting with security officials. A controversy has meanwhile been growing over the treatment by Palestinian police of protesters in the 17 percent of the West Bank that they control, after a video was uploaded showing police beating a protester on Friday in Bethlehem.
