Israeli police clash with Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem (VIDEO)

Footage posted online showed officers forcing back demonstrators while shots were heard in the background. Authorities have reportedly used rubber bullets to disperse protests in recent days.

About 3,000 officers were deployed around the Old City on Friday, as Israeli police restricted access to the Temple Mount in an effort to prevent protests, AP reported.

A number of checkpoints were set up, with authorities turning away worshippers heading to the site from Israel and the West Bank. Muslim men under the age of 50 were prohibited from entering the site, unless they were area residents.

A Palestinian advocacy group cited by AP said that Israeli police detained 10 prominent Palestinian activists in Jerusalem, including the leader of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement in the city.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also put thousands of extra troops in the West Bank on call ahead of Friday prayers at the Temple Mount, anticipating clashes.

It comes after the mufti of Jerusalem and the heads of the Waqf – a Muslim authority – called on all imams in the city and surrounding areas not to hold Friday prayers in their mosques, but to hold them outside the holy site – known as Ḥaram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) to Muslims – instead.

Those calls were later echoed by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Islamic Jihad group, Hamas, and the Umm al-Fahm Popular Committee, a local community organization.

READ MORE: Thousands of extra IDF troops put on call in West Bank amid Temple Mount tensions

The Friday scuffles are the latest clashes to take place this week, after Palestinians were angered by Israel’s decision to place metal detectors at the Temple Mount, saying it interrupts the status quo.

Under the current situation, Israel controls access to the site while Jordan presides over its day-to-day management.

Israel’s decision to implement extra security measures at the Temple Mount came after two border police officers were killed in an attack at the site one week ago.

Source Article from https://www.rt.com/news/397073-israel-police-palestinians-clashes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

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