The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 305 people were hurt in the confrontation between Palestinians and police, as the latter burst onto the Temple Mount and into its Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Israel Police said rioters had been hurling rocks and other objects from the holy site and launching fireworks at officers, leading them to enter the compound, a relatively uncommon move by Israeli security forces.
Riot police responded with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.
Around 205 Palestinians were hospitalized, of whom seven were in serious condition, the first aid organization reported. At least 21 police officers were injured, including one who required hospitalization, police said.
At certain points during the clashes, the police emptied the Temple Mount and temporarily barred people from returning but eventually let them back in.
The riots came shortly after police on Monday morning decided to bar Jews from entering the flashpoint holy site on Jerusalem Day due to spiraling tensions in the capital, drawing fury from right-wing legislators but support from the left.
It was still not clear whether police would allow a planned annual parade by nationalist Jews through the capital, amid recommendations by security officials to alter the route of the Flag March in order to limit the chances of direct confrontations between the participants and the Muslim residents of the Old City.
During a situational assessment by Israel’s political leadership, the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet security service and Israel’s military liaison to the Palestinians all said they believed that the current route, which would have thousands of Jewish Israelis pass through the flashpoint Damascus Gate and Muslim Quarter, was likely to result in violence.
According to Channel 12, Defense Minister Benny Gantz accepted this position and called for the police to change the route, though the final decision was not his to make.
The Flag March was planned for 4 p.m. Monday, and police were set to hold additional meetings on the matter before announcing how they planned to proceed. READ MORE
