Israeli Police clashed with Palestinian protesters on Tuesday in a third straight day of unrest at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site.
Police spokeswoman luba Samri said police entered the Al Aqsa mosque compound today to disperse a group of protesters who had holed up inside the mosque overnight.
The protesters threw rocks, fireworks, concrete blocks and a firebomb at officers, she said, adding that two Palestinians were arrested and five police officers were lightly injured.
She said that a firebomb thrown from within the mosque at police ignited planks of wood stockpiled by the protesters. Mosque officials later extinguished the fire, she said. Police released photos showing piles of charred rubble outside the mosque. Police later managed to restore calm and open the site for visitors, Samri said, but a group of protesters remained inside the mosque.
The site is revered by Jews and Muslims and is a frequent flashpoint of violence. The compound in Jerusalem’s old city is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, site of the two biblical Jewish temples.