ISRAEL/RAMALLAH: PALESTINIANS CLASH WITH ISRAELI POLICE

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• published: 23 Jul 2015
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English/Nat Clashes erupted on Thursday at a key Jerusalem shrine, hotly contested in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, with Israeli riot police firing rubber bullets at about 200 Palestinians who hurled stones and bottles. The violence broke out just moments after the leader of Israel's hardline opposition, Ariel Sharon, left the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram as-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary. Shouts of "Murderer, get out" followed Sharon, a feared and reviled figure in much of the Arab world. Clashes, prompted by the visit of Israeli opposition politician Ariel Sharon to holy sites in Jerusalem, have now spread beyond Jerusalem to the West Bank town of Ramallah. About 200 Palestinian university students angered by Sharon's visit threw stones at troops manning an Israeli checkpoint. "Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine. Sharon, get out," read a banner carried by the group. Israeli troops responded by firing rubber bullets at the protesters who hid behind burning tyres. Four Palestinians were injured, paramedics said. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Sharon's visit was dangerous and that Arab and Islamic nations should mobilize to protect the shrine. The shrine, once home to the Jewish Temple, is the most sacred site of Judaism. It now houses two major mosques, Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock, that mark the spot where tradition says the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. The compound is the third holiest site of Islam, after Mecca and Medina. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak had no immediate comment on the incident. The Israeli Mayor of Jerusalem, Ehud Olmert said Sharon's visit was not a provocation and that he supports religious freedom for all and that the Holy sites should be open to visits by all. SOUNDBITE: (English) "It is entirely inconceivable that Arab members of Knesset will have free access to the Temple Mount any time they want to go and when a Jewish member of Parliament wants to be there it becomes a political demonstration. It's either free access for all or there is no religious freedom and we there are for religious freedom and for free access to all and I think that the visit of General Sharon and the Likud members of parliament is absolutely legitimate and there is no problem about it." SUPER CAPTION: Ehud Olmert, Mayor of Jerusalem Palestinian leaders said Sharon's visit, intended to demonstrate Israeli sovereignty claims, was a provocation, but proved that Israel has no real control there. SOUNDBITE: (English) Q: Are you concerned that this could lead to an eruption of violence in the West Bank as Palestinians protest against this? "It depends upon the Israeli side if they will go and allow such violations and such violence and such provocation so no one will be able to control the mood of our people." SUPER CAPTION: Faisal Husseini, Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs When Sharon began his visit Thursday morning, accompanied by members of his Likud party, about 1,000 Israeli police were deployed around the site. Young Palestinians defiantly shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great). Some tried to break through the police cordon but were pushed back. Sharon launched Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, and was forced to resign as defense minister in 1983 when an Israeli commission found he bore some responsibility for the massacre of hundreds of Palestinian refugees by Lebanese militias allied with Israel. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/3d0641f19486f5b83d8393c5088eb8c3 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork