Hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli police before dawn on Good Friday at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.
The violence occurred as thousands gathered for prayers during the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Israeli authorities say Palestinians threw rocks at police after their dawn prayers, igniting the clashes. Videos posted online show Palestinians hurling rocks and police firing tear gas and stun grenades.
Medics said more than 150 Palestinians were wounded.
The holy site, which is called the Temple Mount by Israel, was sacred to Jews for more than a millennium before Islam was even created. The Romans tore down the Jewish Temple in 70 A.D. as Jesus Christ had prophesied, and then centuries later Muslims built their Al-Aqsa Mosque on top of the Jewish Temple Mount.
Because both Muslims and Jews now consider it to be their holy site, it’s often been the epicenter of unrest between Palestinians and Israelis.
The latest clash comes as tensions have soared in recent weeks after Palestinian terrorists murdered 14 Israelis in a terror spree. To find the killers and prevent more terrorism, Israel launched a wave of arrests and military operations in the West Bank.
The Temple Mount clashes come at a particularly sensitive time on the religious calendar. This year the Islamic holy month of Ramadan coincides with Passover, a major weeklong Jewish holiday beginning today at sundown, and the Christian holy week, which culminates on Easter Sunday.
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