Palestinians, Israeli settlers clash in East Jerusalem
By Alaa Rimawi
JERUSALEM
Clashes erupted late on Sunday between Palestinian youths and Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem amid heavy Israeli security presence.
Palestinian youths had attacked the homes of Israeli settlers in Mount of Olives, in central East Jerusalem, but policemen arrived in large numbers and dispersed the youths, Israel's General Radio quoted police as saying in a statement.
Eyewitnesses, meanwhile, told Anadolu Agency that the clashes erupted against the background of provocations by the settlers who insulted Palestinians.
AA could not immediately get information about whether the clashes had left any injured victims behind.
The clashes came only one day after an Israeli Knesset member had called for storming Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in East Jerusalem on Monday on the occasion of Sukkot, one of the three Jewish pilgrimage festivals, which started on Wednesday and lasts for a week.
Deputy Knesset Speaker Moshe Feiglin invited Jews on Saturday to gather outside the mosque compound at 6:30am on Monday before storming it.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.
In September 2000, a visit to Al-Aqsa by controversial Israeli leader Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada," a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.
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