(JNS) Muslim worshippers clashed with police on the Temple Mount on Sunday morning, after a Jewish group visited the site, according to the Israel Police.
The worshippers, who barricaded themselves in the Al Aqsa mosque, hurled rocks from a mosque window and set off fireworks, which landed inside the mosque, police said.
According to Channel 13, some 40 masked rioters were inside the mosque compound. Police also stated on Sunday that “a masked suspect was seen urinating on the roof of the Al Aqsa mosque, desecrating its sanctity,” releasing video footage of the incident.
The Jewish group included Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit), who stated, “The fact that we live here stirs them up and makes them angry, so should we go back to Europe?”
In a statement, police said that they had been working to “allow the freedom of worship on the Temple Mount while also ensuring the continuation of visits to the site. In the last hour, toward the end of the visits and after more than 1,800 visitors visited the site, clashes broke out between worshippers and a group of visitors. This constituted a breach of public order which included throwing of bottles and chairs at the site. Following these disturbances, a number of suspects were arrested.”
In addition, the statement said, in one of the last groups to visit, “dozens of visitors to the Temple Mount violated visitation rules. This group delayed the entrance of additional groups of visitors to the site. The group of visitors was removed and a number of those involved were detained.”
