Friday's riots in Jerusalem
Photo: AFP
Arabs riot in West Bank, Jerusalem
Arab teens riot when prevented access to Temple Mount, Palestinians throw firebomb at checkpoint
A few dozen Arab teens rioted Saturday near Nablus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City due to a police decision to limit prayer at Temple Mount. Police quelled the riots, and the teens agreed to pray at a nearby spot.
In another incident Saturday, a few dozen Palestinians tried to break through the Qalandia checkpoint in the West Bank, probably due to a closure imposed by Israel on the Palestinian territories.
One of the rioters threw a Molotov cocktail, which sparked a fire, but no one was injured. Border Guard officers arrested four participants.
On Friday police deployed 3,000 officers in east Jerusalem in order to prevent rioting. A number of riots took place at checkpoints and various locations throughout the city before Friday's prayer, but only one officer was injured lightly and not many arrests were made.
Young Palestinians who were blocked from entering the Temple Mount complex tried to break through a police barrier in Ras al-Amud in order to reach the prayer area. Officers at the barrier stopped them, and they threw stones.
In another incident, a young Arab man attacked a police officer near Chain Gate after he was not allowed to enter the Temple Mount because of his age. The officer was not wounded. The young man was arrested.
