04-29-2022Julie StahlEmily Jones

Israeli police deploy in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, Friday, April 22, 2022. (AP Photo)

JERUSALEM, Israel –  Violence erupted on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem early Friday, the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Masked men and others hurled rocks and firecrackers from inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, towards the gate leading to the Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews are allowed to pray.

Israeli police fired rubber bullets and clashed with the stone-throwers, who also waved Hamas flags.

Violence ended after about an hour.  Some 40 Palestinians were reportedly injured. Today’s clashes were the latest in waves of violence that have rocked the holy site over the last few weeks.

Just before Holocaust Remembrance Day, Muslims gathered on the Mount chanting an Islamic battle cry to kill the Jews.

The rabbi of the Western Wall condemned the violence and said it’s especially bad at a holy site. 

“This is not what prayer looks like. This is certainly not what faith in god looks like – harming and throwing stones on innocent worshippers,” said Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz.

The Temple Mount is the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Two Jewish temples once stood there, and it is also the third holiest site in Islam. Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site but to preserve the fragile status quo there, they are not allowed to pray or perform religious rituals. However, unorganized Jewish prayer has recently returned to the site amid a surge in Jewish visitation.

Last year, efforts by Israeli police to stop persistent rioting on the Temple Mount helped trigger an 11-day war with Gaza that began after Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem.

Palestinian terror groups have characterized themselves as the “defenders” of the Jerusalem holy site, and often use the clashes there as justification to attack Israel.