Clashes break out as Palestinians return to al-Aqsa mosque after two-week standoff with Israel

Clashes broke out inside Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound on Friday as thousands of Palestinians returned to the holy site for the first time in two weeks after a standoff with Israeli police. 

Israel installed metal detectors, cameras and railings outside the mosque after two of its police officers were shot dead on July 14 but the move sparked a massive backlash of civil protest and some violence from Palestinians. 

Thousands of Palestinians have prayed each day outside the mosque, rather than going inside through the new security set up.

On Thursday morning the Israeli government removed the last of the railings and the waqf, the Islamic authority that administers the mosque, gave the all clear for worshippers to return to the holy site. 

Thousands of people poured through the gates of the mosques, chanting in victory, but clashes soon broke out between Israeli riot police and parts of the crowd. 

Palestinian officials says 46 Palestinians were injured in the fighting. Israeli police said youths had thrown stones at Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall.  

Palestinian factions had called for a “Day of Rage” against Israeli forces on Friday in protest at the situation at the mosque and it was not clear if they would call off their protests in light of Israel’s decision to remove the barriers. 

Three Palestinians were killed last Friday in clashes with Israeli troops and three Israelis were later stabbed to death in their home in a West Bank settlement by a young Palestinian.

Palestinian political and religious groups that are often at odds with each other have been galvanised and united by the protests over al-Aqsa and may be reluctant to lose the momentum of the last two weeks. 

Mahmoud Abbas, the unpopular Palestinian president, has appeared emboldened by the protests and reportedly gave permission for the armed wing of his Fatah party to help organise confrontations with Israeli forces on Friday. 

Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, hailed the removal of the barriers as a "historic victory”. 

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has come under fire from all sides for his handling of the crisis. 

Moderates have criticised him putting up the metal detectors despite the risk of a Palestinian backlash while the Right has accused him of giving in to Palestinian pressure to take them down. 

Mr Netanyahu said on Facebook on Wednesday that he wanted to see al-Jazeera’s bureau in Jerusalem shut down because of the networks “incitement” against Israel.  

"The al-Jazeera channel continues to incite violence around the Temple Mount," Mr Netanyahu said. 

“I have appealed to law enforcement agencies several times to close the al-Jazeera office in Jerusalem. If this is not possible because of legal interpretation, I am going to seek to have the necessary legislation adopted to expel al-Jazeera from Israel.”

The metal detectors are part of a bigger argument over the so-called “status quo” at the holy site. While al-Aqsa is sacred to Muslims, it is also holy to Jews who refer to the area as the Temple Mount and believe it is the site where Abraham offered to sacrifice his son Isaac to God. 

When Israel took control of the area during the 1967 war its government had to decide whether to allow Jewish worship at the site and risk inflaming tensions with Palestinians. Israel opted for a compromise: only Muslims would be allowed to pray at the site but Jews could visit at certain times and under certain restrictions. 

That “status quo” has more or less held for fifty years but many Palestinians are convinced Israel is trying to take control over al-Aqsa, also known as the Temple Mount. In the metal detectors and other security barriers, they saw just such a sign.   

Israel firmly denies that it has any plans to alter the status quo agreement.