Friday afternoon prayers end with arrests on Temple Mount

Several instances of rock-throwing come as police officials say violence is on the decline.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Palestinians in front of the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinians in front of the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City
(photo credit: REUTERS)
In a scene that has become emblematic of Friday prayers on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, masked men hurled firebombs and stones at police in the Mughrabi Gate, which leads to the historic site.
As worshipers descended from the Temple Mount, a mob threw rocks at police forces, who were monitoring the traditional prayer sessions. Three rioters were arrested for disrupting the peace and taken into custody.
Not far away, three east Jerusalem residents, including a minor, were arrested in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan after they threw rocks at Jewish homes in the area.
They were taken into custody and held for further questioning.
The events come after Palestinians threw stones at a Jewish family's car overnight when the driver made a wrong turn and entered the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi Joz, which has recently become a flashpoint for violence following the death of an unarmed teen in the hands of Israeli police.
They family managed to exit the area and went directly to a police station to file a report. One of the family members was lightly injured in the attack, but received treatment.
Israel Police said it had conducted a search in the village for the assailants.
Despite multiple incidents of rock-throwing and unrest, Jerusalem police chief Yossi Friyanty and other senior officials in the force have repeatedly said this week that violence and riots in the capital were on the decline.