TEL AVIV: The situation in Jerusalem's Old City came to a dangerous head over the weekend, with medics saying around 300 Palestinians have been injured in violent clashes with Israeli security forces since Friday evening.
The violent clashes continued into Sunday.
An Israeli police spokesman said Sunday morning that confrontations took place at the Damascus Gate - one of the entrances to the OldCity - and around the holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. Several arrests were made.
Near the Damascus Gate, Palestinian demonstrators threw stones, bottles and firecrackers at security forces, according to police.
Police used rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades, according to media reports.
According to radio reports, more than 90,000 devout Muslims had gathered in the Noble Sanctuary, where Al Aqsa Mosque is located, to pray on the last weekend before the fasting month of Ramadhan ends.
Saturday evening marked Lailat al Qadr (Night of Destiny), when according to tradition, the Quran, was handed over to the prophet Mohammed. The situation around the Old City and the Sheikh Jarrah quarter had already escalated the previous night. Afterwards, there was talk ofmore than 200 people being injured, and police spoke of almost 20security forces who had been injured.
The situation in the West Bank and in the Arab-dominated eastern part of Jerusalem has been tense since the beginning of Ramadha n. Many Palestinians are angry because Israeli police had cordoned off areas of the Old City to prevent gatherings.
In addition, some Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah are facing eviction from their homes by Israeli authorities, further heightening tensions.
Police presence has been stepped up amid concerns about renewed violence on Israel's Jerusalem Day, which begins on Sunday evening.
At a special government session to mark Jerusalem Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that religious freedom would be upheld for all in the city, but that violence would not be tolerated.
Israel celebrates the conquest of the eastern half of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War on that day. The Palestinians see East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state of their own.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other international organisations to take action. A world that cannot protect Jerusalem and Muslims has betrayed itself, Erdogan said.
The UAE and Bahrain also criticised Israel over the clashes.
The Middle East Quartet envoys expressed deep concern over the new escalation in a joint statement.
"We are alarmed by the provocative statements made by some political groups, as well as the launching of rockets and the resumption of incendiary balloons from Gaza towards Israel, and attacks on Palestinian farmland in the West Bank," the statement said.
The envoys "noted with serious concern" the possible forced evictions. It said the Israeli side should exercise special restraint during Ramadan and "avoid measures that would further escalate the situation."
A spokesman for Hamas' military wing vowed his organisation's support for the devout Muslims in Jerusalem on Saturday evening.
The Israeli army struck a Hamas military post in the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Sunday in retaliation at a rocket attack.
"Activists in Gaza fired a rocket toward Israel earlier tonight. In response, our aircraft just struck a Hamas military post in southern Gaza," the Israel army said on Twitter. "Terror has consequences."
Israel reinforced a blockade of Gaza in 2007 together with Egypt; both countries justify the measure with security concerns.
Around 2 million people live in the Gaza Strip in dire conditions. - dpa
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