Israeli riot police dispersed a crowd of masked Palestinian youths throwing stones in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday, in a violent reminder of tensions at the holiest site in the contested city.
In the past, even seemingly minor incidents at the hilltop compound - known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary - have ignited clashes and protests throughout the region. A Palestinian official warned that Sunday's incident could undermine efforts to resume peace talks.
Micky Rosenfeld, an Israeli police spokesman, said police dispersed some 20 masked protesters who had holed up overnight in the compound's Al-Aqsa mosque and then pelted visiting tourists with objects early Sunday. They also threw rocks at policemen who showed up at the scene, he said.
The policemen quickly restored calm and tourists were allowed to continue visiting the compound, one of Jerusalem's main tourist sites, Rosenfeld said. But sporadic clashes between small groups of
masked Palestinians and police continued in the Old City's back alleyways, where youths with T-shirts wrapped around their faces hurled stones at policemen protected by a wall of plexiglass shields. No serious injuries were reported.
The holy compound has been under Israeli security control since the 1967 Mideast war, but Israel has left its day-to-day management in the hands of an Islamic administration known as the Waqf and prevents Jews from praying there.
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