Palestinians clash with Israeli troops at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem

Demonstrations at holy shrine erupt into violence as youths fight battles with riot police.

Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 25 October 2009 17.03 GMT

Israeli riot police firing stun grenades and crowds of young Palestinians

Palestinians clash with Israeli troops at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
Israeli riot police firing stun grenades and crowds of young Palestinians throwing stones clashed in the compound around the al-Aqsa mosque in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City today.

It was the latest flare-up in several weeks of protests around the site, known as the Temple Mount or the Haram al-Sharif. Around two dozen people were injured, mostly Palestinians, but none were seriously hurt.

Israeli forces stormed up into the compound behind riot shields and crowds of Palestinians fled, some taking sanctuary in the al-Aqsa mosque.

The second intifada of 2000 began with protests in the same area, but these latest clashes have been less violent and so far seem unlikely to trigger a more widespread uprising against the Israeli occupation.

Several Palestinians were arrested by Israeli police, among them Hatam Abd al-Qadir, a senior Palestinian adviser on Jerusalem, and Ali Abu Sheikha, a senior leader from the Islamic Movement, an organisation within Israel.

David Cohen, the head of Israel's national police, accused Muslim extremists of inciting violence. "The police will act with a strong hand against anyone who disrupts order on the Temple Mount and against those who incite to riot," Cohen said.

Palestinians, however, have been increasingly concerned about right-wing Jewish settlers entering the compound and about rumours - denied by Israel - of excavations near the site. The Old City, in east Jerusalem, was captured by Israel in the 1967 war and later annexed, a move never recognised by the international community.

Palestinian officials accused the Israeli police of provoking the violence. Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Abbas, condemned "the storming of Haram al-Sharif by Israeli forces". He added: "Jerusalem is a red line that Israel should not cross." There have been protests over the incident from the Islamic Conference and the Arab League.