More Than 150 Injured In Violence At Jerusalem Holy Site

 More than a hundred and fifty humans had been wounded Friday in clashes among Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli police in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the primary face-off on the flashpoint holy web website online for the reason that begin of Ramadan.

Israeli police stated dozens of masked guys marched into Al-Aqsa putting off fireworks earlier than crowds hurled stones in the direction of the Western Wall — taken into consideration the holiest web website online in which Jews can pray.

Witnesses stated Palestinians threw stones at Israeli forces, who fired rubber-lined bullets and stun grenades.

The Palestinian Red Crescent stated 153 humans had been hospitalised and “dozens” of others had been handled on the scene. Israeli police stated at the least 3 officials had been hurt.

Around four hundred humans had been arrested, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club stated.

The clashes come after 3 weeks of lethal violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank, and because the Jewish competition of Passover and Christian Easter overlap with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Al-Aqsa is Islam’s third-holiest web website online. Jews seek advice from it because the Temple Mount, referencing temples stated to have stood there in antiquity.

Last 12 months for the duration of the Muslim fasting month, clashes that flared in Jerusalem, together with among Israeli forces and Palestinians traveling Al-Aqsa, brought about eleven days of devastating battle among Israel and Hamas, the Islamist organization that guidelines the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated Friday’s “riots” had been “unacceptable”.

“The convergence of Passover, Ramadan and Easter is symbolic of what we’ve got in common. We should now no longer allow all people flip those holy days right into a platform for hate, incitement and violence,” he stated.    

UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland urged “the government on each facets to right away de-strengthen the scenario and save you any similarly provocations via way of means of radical actors”.

The US, European Union and the Arab League have additionally voiced their concern.

Washington on Friday stated it become “deeply concerned” via way of means of the occasions in Jerusalem.

“We name on all facets to exercising restraint (and) keep away from provocative moves and rhetoric,” State Department spokesman Ned Price stated in a statement.

– ‘Red line’ –

Police stated crowds had hurled rocks “withinside the course of the Western Wall… and because the violence surged, police had been pressured to go into the grounds surrounding the mosque,” including officials did now no longer input the mosque.

But Al-Aqsa mosque director Omar al-Kiswani informed AFP that an “attack become made in the Al-Aqsa mosque”.

“More than eighty younger humans in the holy mosque had been displaced,” he stated, including: “Al-Aqsa mosque is a crimson line”.

Before Ramadan, Israel and Jordan stepped up talks that allows you to keep away from a repeat of remaining 12 months’s violence.

Jordan serves as custodian of the mosque compound, whilst Israel controls access.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh stated there become “no vicinity for the invaders and occupiers in our holy Jerusalem”.

Analysts say Hamas desires to hold the battle alive withinside the West Bank and in Jerusalem however keep away from escalation withinside the Gaza Strip after remaining 12 months’s war, and with lots of Gazans’ Israeli paintings lets in at risk.

“Hamas does now no longer need a brand new war of words,” stated Mukhaimer Abu Saada, professor of political technology at Gaza’s Al-Azhar University.

An Israeli safety supply stated the Islamic Jihad militant organization — which controls neither the West Bank nor Gaza — might be extra willing in the direction of an escalation with Israel.

The organization warned “the war of words could be nearer and harder” for Israeli forces if “they do now no longer forestall the aggression towards our humans”.

Along with Hamas, Islamic Jihad mobilised lots of humans in Gaza on Friday in unity with Palestinians at Al-Aqsa, AFP correspondents reported.

– Spiralling violence –

Israel has poured extra forces into the West Bank and is reinforcing its wall and fence barrier after 4 lethal assaults withinside the Jewish nation withinside the beyond 3 weeks.

A overall of 14 humans had been killed withinside the assaults considering that March 22, together with a capturing spree in Bnei Brak, an Orthodox Jewish town in more Tel Aviv.

Twenty- Palestinians had been killed over the identical period, together with assailants who focused Israelis, in keeping with an AFP tally.

On Thursday, Israel introduced it might block crossings from the West Bank and Gaza into Israel from Friday afternoon thru Saturday, the primary nights of Passover week, and doubtlessly hold the crossings closed for the relaxation of the holiday.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who misplaced his parliamentary majority remaining week, has given Israeli forces a unfastened hand to “defeat terror” withinside the West Bank, which Israel has occupied for the reason that Six-Day War of 1967.

Some of the assaults in Israel had been done via way of means of Arab residents of Israel connected to or stimulated via way of means of the Islamic State organization, others via way of means of Palestinians, cheered via way of means of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Three Palestinians died Thursday as Israeli forces released clean raids into the West Bank district of Jenin, every week after a lethal gun assault towards a Tel Aviv nightlife district. A fourth died of his wounds on Friday.