Young demonstrators threw stones at police who had entered the compound in giant numbers and responded with stun grenades.
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“We will use all necessary measures to fight against those who throw stones, firebombs, pipe bombs and fireworks in order to attack civilians and police”, Netanyahu said at the meeting, as reported on his Facebook page.
King Abdullah of Jordan, which has custodianship of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, condemned the actions by the Israeli police and said they could lead to a reevaluation of ties between the two countries, who have a peace treaty in place since 1994. “Any more provocations in Jerusalem will affect the relationship between Jordan and Israel; and Jordan will have no choice, but to take action, unfortunately”.
Muslim protesters fear Israel will seek to change rules governing the site, with far-right Jewish groups pushing for more access to the compound and even efforts by fringe organisations to erect a new temple on the grounds of the compound.
The White House said it was deeply concerned about the violence at the site, revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount and called on all sides to “exercise restraint and refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric”.
The protesters threw projectiles at officers, Ms Samri said, adding that two Palestinians were arrested and five police officers were slightly injured.
The fate of the compound in Jerusalem’s Old City is a core issue at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said 26 worshipers were wounded in Tuesday’s attack. “Clearly, Israel is deliberately creating and escalating a situation of instability, insecurity and violence, thereby incrementally assuring by force its power/security control in preparation for the total annexation and transformation of Al-Haram Al-Sharif”, said Hanan Ashrawi, senior official for the Palestine Liberation Organization, in a statement on Monday.
Witnesses said Israeli forces sealed the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque and barred men and women of all ages from entering.
Israeli forces have stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) for a third straight day, blocking all roads leading to the holy site. At the same time, he said that the status quo was being “violated constantly” by Arabs who “incite” against Jewish visitors at the site.
On a tour of some of the main flash points in and around Jerusalem, Benjamin Netanyahu said the new steps would include increasing legal penalties and fines for stone-throwers and their families, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
A group of about 10 Jews among the first to visit the compound Wednesday were closely watched and escorted by Israeli police and the Waqf.
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Palestinians want East Jerusalem, annexed by Israel after the 1967 war, as the capital of a state they aspire to establish in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.
