A fresh confrontation has been reported from Jerusalem's religious flashpoint. Israeli police say they briefly entered the Al-Aqsa mosque during clashes with Palestinians ahead of protests planned by orthodox Jews.
Israeli police said they made a rare but brief intrusion into the entrance of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday, but only to close its doors to prevent "rioters" barricaded inside from continuing to throw rocks and firecrackers.
"It was only to close the doors," said Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. "We didn't burst inside. We didn't storm inside."
East Jerusalem's historic compound houses the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is revered as the third-holiest site in Islam. It is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest location.
Sunday is the Jewish holy day of Tisha B'AV, when Jews mourn the Roman destruction of the site's former second temple in 70 AD.
Tens of thousands of Jews were expected to visit the Wailing Wall, just below Temple Mount.
Highly sensitive site
In May, Israeli police arrested a number of Palestinians and Israelis after a confrontation near the mosque.
Jews are permitted to visit the compound but are officially barred from praying to avoid violence. Ultra-nationalist Jews are sometimes seen praying discreetly.
Israeli security forces control entry; but, under a longstanding agreement, Jordan remains custodian of the area's Muslim holy sites.
Conquest and destruction
The site has a history of conquest and destruction. Muslims constructed the Dome of the Rock in 691 AD, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque 14 years later.
In 1099, Christian Crusaders wrested Jerusalem from Muslim control. Saladin recaptured Jerusalem in 1187. Jordan retains oversight via its Islamic Waqf trust.
Disputed capital
Israel seized east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital. Palestinians view the eastern sector as a capital of a future Palestinian state alongside Israel.
ipj/jlw (AFP, kna, Reuters, AP)
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