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Israeli police, Palestinian worshippers clash at flashpoint holy site in East Jerusalem
From:Xinhua  |  2019-08-11 18:06

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Palestinians clash with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, Aug. 11, 2019. Clashes erupted on Sunday in East Jerusalem's holy site between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police, sparking fresh tensions, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. The Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 14 Palestinians were injured as the Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to the Jewish people as the Temple Mount, is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Clashes erupted on Sunday in East Jerusalem's holy site between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police, sparking fresh tensions, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 14 Palestinians were injured as the Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to the Jewish people as the Temple Mount, is sacred to both Muslims and Jews.

Video footage taken by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, a Jordanian body that administrates the site, showed the police firing stun grenades at the worshippers.

Israeli police issued a statement saying thousands of Muslim worshippers were rioting and hurling stones, chairs, and other objects at the police.

"The district commander ordered the dispersal of the rioters ... and restored the public order," the statement said.

According to the statement, four police officers were lightly wounded during the clashes.

Israeli media reported that the clashes subsided but later erupted again after Jewish visitors were allowed to enter the site to mark a Jewish holiday.

Sunday marks the beginning of the Eid al-Adha, or the "Festival of the Sacrifice," when thousands of Palestinian worshippers arrived at the Al-Aqsa compound for prayers.

This year, the Islamic festival coincides with the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, which sees an increased number of Israeli visitors to the holy site in Jerusalem.

In an attempt to avoid friction, the Israeli police first barred Israeli visitors on Sunday, but following calls by right-wing political leaders, the site was opened to visitors, resulting in a fresh round of clashes.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is one of the most volatile sites in the region.

Under a long-held status quo, Israeli Jews are allowed to visit the site but not to pray there.

In recent years, ultra-nationalist Israeli Jews have been challenging the status quo, demanding the government increase the numbers of Jewish visitors to the site and allow prayers.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state, while Israel wants all Jerusalem to be its eternal capital.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and declared the entire city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, a move that has never been recognized by most of the international community.

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Palestinians clash with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, Aug. 11, 2019. Clashes erupted on Sunday in East Jerusalem's holy site between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police, sparking fresh tensions, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. The Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 14 Palestinians were injured as the Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to the Jewish people as the Temple Mount, is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

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Palestinians clash with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, Aug. 11, 2019. Clashes erupted on Sunday in East Jerusalem's holy site between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police, sparking fresh tensions, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. The Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 14 Palestinians were injured as the Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to the Jewish people as the Temple Mount, is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

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Palestinians clash with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, Aug. 11, 2019. Clashes erupted on Sunday in East Jerusalem's holy site between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police, sparking fresh tensions, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. The Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 14 Palestinians were injured as the Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to the Jewish people as the Temple Mount, is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

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Palestinians clash with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, Aug. 11, 2019. Clashes erupted on Sunday in East Jerusalem's holy site between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police, sparking fresh tensions, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. The Palestinian Red Crescent said at least 14 Palestinians were injured as the Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to the Jewish people as the Temple Mount, is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

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