Clashes after Palestinians end boycott of holy site
JERUSALEM: Clashes broke out between Israeli police and Palestinians at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site on Thursday as thousands of Muslim worshippers entered to end a boycott of the compound over new Israeli security measures.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported 46 people wounded both inside the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and in the immediate area.
The reasons for the clashes inside the compound were not immediately clear. Outside, clashes broke out when a group of policemen walked in the middle of a crowd. Palestinians threw plastic bottles and Israeli forces fired stun grenades.
Thousands of worshippers had earlier streamed into the compound for prayers, ending a boycott after Israel removed controversial new security measures, installed after a July 14 attack killed two policemen.
The site includes the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
Muslims had refused to enter the compound and prayed in the streets outside after Israel installed the new security measures.
NETANYAHU WANTS TO EXPEL AL-JAZEERA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he wants to expel Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera from Israel.
“The Al-Jazeera channel continues to incite violence around the Temple Mount,” Netanyahu wrote in a Facebook post.
Israel has regularly accused Al-Jazeera of bias in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The network did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Netanyahu also did not respond to a request for further comment on the post.