JERUSALEM, Undefined, May 10 ------ Tensions ran high Sunday in annexed East Jerusalem after hundreds of Palestinians were wounded in a weekend of clashes between protesters and Israeli security forces, sparking global concern that the unrest could spread further. The violence around Jerusalem's revered Al-Aqsa mosque compound and the Old City, mostly at night, is the worst since 2017, fueled by a years-long bid by Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem.
The unrest swept parts of the occupied West Bank and a rocket was fired early Sunday from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, with the Israeli army saying it responded with an air strike that struck a Hamas military post. Tunisia's foreign ministry said it has called for a meeting Monday of the UN Security Council to discuss the escalating violence amid growing international calls for an end to the unrest. Some 100 Palestinians were wounded in Saturday's overnight clashes, many hit by rubber bullets and stun grenades, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Israeli police said of its 17 officers were wounded.
The previous night more than 220 people, again mostly Palestinians, were hurt after Israeli police stormed Al-Aqsa after they said Palestinians threw rocks and fireworks at officers. On Saturday night, thousands of Palestinians packed Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site which Jews revere as the Temple Mount, to hold special Ramadan prayers. Israeli police set up roadblocks saying it wanted to limit access to the Old City and avoid "violent riots," effectively preventing hundreds more from joining the prayers.
A bus heading to east Jerusalem was stopped and some Palestinians detained for questioning by police, an AFP reporter said, while hundreds of Palestinians marched on highways to the Holy City. "They want to stop us from going to Al-Aqsa," said Ali al-Komani, 40, outside the holy site.
Source: gmanetwork.com