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Israeli police have raided Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque for a second time, hours after the arrest and removal of more than 350 Palestinians in a police raid at the compound and despite a US appeal to ease tensions.
The earlier confrontations, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday, triggered a cross-border exchange of fire in Gaza and stoked fears of further violence.
In the second instance, late on Wednesday night, police entered the compound and tried to evacuate worshippers, using stun grenades and firing rubber bullets, said staff of the Waqf, the Jordanian-appointed Islamic organisation managing the complex.
Worshippers threw objects at police, witnesses said. The Palestinian Red Crescent said six people were injured.
In a statement, police said dozens of youngsters brought rocks and firecrackers into the mosque and had tried to barricade themselves inside. The Waqf, however, said police entered the mosque before prayers were over.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said: “Israel’s raid into al-Aqsa mosque, its assault on worshippers, is a slap to recent US efforts which tried to create calm and stability during the month of Ramadan.”
Less than 24 hours earlier, police raided the mosque to try to remove what they said were masked agitators who locked themselves inside after attempts to remove them by dialogue failed.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said 12 Palestinians were injured in the earlier clash, including from rubber-tipped bullets and beatings. Israeli police said two officers were injured.
Where is al-Aqsa mosque and why is it significant to Muslims?
ShowAl-Aqsa mosque sits at the heart of Jerusalem's Old City, on a hill known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, and to Jews as the Temple Mount.
Muslims regard the site as the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. Al-Aqsa is the name given to the whole compound and is home to two Muslim holy places: the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque, which was built in the 8th century AD.
The compound overlooks the Western Wall, a sacred place of prayer for Jews, for whom the Temple Mount is their most sacred site. Jews believe biblical King Solomon built the first temple there 3,000 years ago. A second temple was razed by the Romans in AD70.
Israel captured the site in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it with the rest of East Jerusalem and adjoining parts of the West Bank in a move not recognised internationally.
Jordan, whose ruling Hashemite family has custodianship of the Muslim and Christian sites, appoints members of the Waqf institution, which oversees the site.
The compound has long been a flashpoint for deadly violence over matters of sovereignty and religion in Jerusalem.
Under the longstanding "status quo" arrangement governing the area, which Israel says it maintains, non-Muslims can visit but only Muslims are allowed to worship in the mosque compound.
Jewish visitors have increasingly prayed more or less openly at the site in defiance of the rules, and Israeli restrictions on Muslim worshippers' access to the site have led to protests and outbreaks of violence. Reuters
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby voiced concern about the violence at the mosque and said it was imperative that Israelis and Palestinians de-escalate tensions.
Palestinian militants fired at least nine rockets from Gaza into Israel after the first raid, drawing airstrikes that Israel said targeted weapon production sites for the Islamist group Hamas that controls the blockaded coastal enclave.
No casualties were reported on either side of the Gaza border. Hamas did not claim responsibility for the rocket attacks but said they were a response to the raid on al-Aqsa, where clashes in 2021 set off a 10-day war with Gaza.
Just before the second al-Aqsa raid, two more rockets were fired from Gaza. The Israeli military said one fell short and the other in an open space
“We are not interested in an escalation but we are ready for any scenario,” Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said earlier in the day.
Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s Old City is Islam’s third holiest site where tens of thousands pray during Ramadan. It is also Judaism’s most sacred site, revered as Temple Mount, a vestige of the two biblical Jewish temples.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, blamed the situation on “extremists” who barricaded themselves inside the mosque with weapons, stones and fireworks.
“Israel is committed to maintaining freedom of worship, free access to all religions and the status quo on the Temple Mount and will not allow violent extremists to change that,” he said in a statement.
Under a longstanding “status quo” arrangement governing the compound, non-Muslims can visit but only Muslims may worship. Some Jewish visitors have increasingly prayed there despite that arrangement.
The Waqf described the police actions as a “flagrant assault on the identity and the function of the mosque as a place of worship for Muslims alone”.
The Arab League held an emergency meeting after which it condemned the raid and said it endangered regional stability.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China asked the 15-member UN security council to discuss the situation behind closed doors on Thursday, said diplomats.
The Palestinian foreign ministry said: “Israel’s aggression against the holy al-Aqsa mosque compound is an egregious assault on the basic right of Palestinians to worship freely in their holy site.” In Gaza, thousands rallied in protest.
With Israel still reeling from weeks of protests over Netanyahu’s plans to rein in the powers of the supreme court, the incident added to an already fevered political atmosphere.
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