A riot broke out Wednesday on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, when hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks and firecrackers at Israeli police who had opened the site for Jewish worshipers marking the Passover holiday.
Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that violence began when the Mughrabi Gate entrance was opened at about 8:00 a.m.
Police officers responded with non-lethal riot dispersal means including stun grenades and tear gas and briefly closed the site in an effort to restore order, Rosenfeld said.
Palestinian women react after having their IDs and bags checked by Israeli police outside of the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 16, 2014. Dozens of Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli police that erupted when Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound was opened to Jewish visitors. (AFP/Getty Images/Ahmad Gharabli)
“Officers stayed there for an hour to ensure order and visitation continued as scheduled,” Rosenfeld said.
Dozens of Palestinian protesters and one Israeli policeman were wounded, the Times of Israel reported.
General view of the Dome of the Rock, part of the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 16, 2014. (AFP/Getty Images/Thomas Coex)
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City is considered the most holy site in Judaism and the third holiest site to Muslims.
Israel has declared the entire city of Jerusalem as its capital, but Palestinians have said east Jerusalem – including all of the holy sites in the Old City such as the Western Wall, Temple Mount and Church of the Holy Sepulchre — should be part of their future capital.
The Israeli news site Mako posted this video from the site (editor's note: video may link out to the Israeli site):
