Tear gas and stun grenades rattle Jerusalem holy site on Jewish New Year

Palestinians clashed with Israeli police at Jerusalem’s flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque compound on Sunday just hours before the start of the Jewish New Year. The disturbances came with tensions running high after Israeli defense minister Moshe Yaalon last week outlawed two Muslim groups which confront Jewish visitors to the compound, which is holy to both faiths. Palestinian witnesses said police entered the mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site. Police said they only closed the doors to the mosque to lock in rioters throwing stones, fireworks and other objects.

Masked protesters who were inside the mosque threw stones and fireworks at police. Suspect pipes that could be filled with homemade explosives were also found at the entry to the mosque.

Police statement

According to police, the rioters had barricaded themselves in the mosque overnight with the aim of disrupting visits by Jews to the site ahead of the start of New Year celebrations on Sunday evening. But a Muslim witness accused police of entering the mosque and causing damage, saying prayer mats were partially burned. Clashes later continued outside the mosque complex, with police firing tear gas and stun grenades.

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