Israeli police raid Al-Aqsa compound

Palestinian protesters scuffled with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday.

The incidents followed fresh clashes on Monday at the mosque compound in Jerusalem, where security forces fired stun grenades and tear gas and Palestinians threw stones and petrol bombs while barricading themselves inside the shrine.

The Palestinians view such visits as provocations, and rumors have spread that Jews are planning on taking over the site, fueling the recent clashes.

Palestinians have expressed fears that Israel is seeking to change rules governing the site, with far-right Jewish groups pushing for more access to the compound and even efforts by fringe organizations to erect a new temple. Muslims revere it as the Noble Sanctuary, where they believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven there.

Similar skirmishes were also reported in the city of Tulkarem where Israeli forces attacked demonstrators marching to voice solidarity with the al-Aqsa Mosque.

A Muslim mob led by an Arab-Israeli lawmaker verbally attacked Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount, as violence from the holy site spilled over in to the West Bank.

Jews are allowed to visit the site, but can not pray to avoid provoking tensions.

Visits by Jews were stopped and age restrictions on Muslim men entering the compound lifted during Eid Al-Adha.

But its actions in quelling the violence have drawn criticism from Arab countries, including Jordan, which has a peace treaty with Israel and administers Muslim religious affairs at the site.

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders will speak before the United Nations this week.

“Jewish extremists want to destroy Al-Aqsa to build a third temple”.

Benjamin Netanyahu, who speaks at the General Assembly Thursday, also said he planned to review the situation in neighbouring Syria as well as the nuclear accord between major powers and Iran, which Israel strongly opposes.

“We call upon all Muslims to be present in Al- Aqsa”, he said.

On the evening of Monday September 14, Alex Levlovich was driving back from the Rosh-Hashana Seder, the celebration of the Jewish new year, along the road that separates the Jewish neighbourhood of Armon Hanatziv and the Palestinian neighbourhood of Tsur Bahir in East Jerusalem when the window of his vehicle was smashed by a stone.

Ten Palestinian have been injured in the clashes, a few of whom are in critical conditions, especially that the Israeli police prevented them from exiting the mosque to receive first aid, and did not let medical workers inside, according to Sky News. That moment arrived when Israel launched its war of 1967 (known to Palestinians as the “Naksa” or “Setback”), seizing East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, thus sealing the fate of the whole of historic Palestine.