Jerusalem police entered the Temple Mount on Friday following afternoon prayers,
after Muslim worshipers began throwing rocks at officers on the Mugrabi Bridge
that leads to the Western Wall Plaza.
Police used stun grenades to
disperse the crowd. Nine police officers, a number of protesters, and a
photographer from Yediot Aharonot were lightly wounded by the
rocks.
Paramedics treated nine police officers on the scene, and six of
those required further medical attention at hospitals. Rioters also threw two
fire bombs at police, and a number of Muslim youth barricaded themselves inside
a mosque and refused to leave. Police arrested four Muslim worshipers and
additional arrests are expected.
On Thursday, Jerusalem police spokesman
Shmuel Ben-Ruby said officers were “on high alert” for disturbances on Friday
but did not issue age restrictions for Muslims wishing to enter for Friday
prayers.
When police are worried about violence there, they prohibit men
under the age of 40 from entering the Mount and require Jerusalem residency of
other Muslims wishing to visit.
Last week, police twice closed the Temple
Mount to non-Muslim visitors.
On Sunday, they closed the Mount after
Likud MK Moshe Feiglin invoked his parliamentary rights and demanded access to
the Dome of the Rock, which is currently closed to non-Muslims. On Wednesday, an
altercation between a group of Jewish and Muslim women attracted a large, unruly
crowd, forcing police to close the area again.