Israel Reopens Al-Aqsa Complex After Hours Of Violence

Israeli authorities have reopened the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem following a violent day in the holy city.



"After police security assessments made, Temple Mount open again after being closed today," Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Thursday on Twitter, using the Jewish term for the holy compound.



He added that police units would remain deployed in Jerusalem this evening.



Earlier in the day, Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Jordan-run Organization for Muslim Endowments and Al-Aqsa Affairs, said that Al-Aqsa Mosque had been shut by the Israeli authorities since dawn.



The holy site had never been closed since 1967 when Israel occupied the city, he noted.



The closure came shortly after extremist Jewish rabbi Yehuda Glick was seriously injured in a drive-by shooting in Jerusalem late Wednesday.



Glick is known for leading groups of Jews to force their way into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.



Tension has intensified further when Israeli forces killed Moataz Hegazi – who had been suspected of shooting the rabbi – in a raid on his East Jerusalem home.



At least 20 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police near Hegazi's home in Al-Thawri neighborhood .



Clashes spilled over to other areas in the holy city where Israeli forces used stun grenades, rubber bullets and teargas to disperse stone-throwing Palestinian youths, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent.



Israeli police said Hegazi – who reportedly spent several years in an Israeli prison before being released in 2012 – had been killed when he opened fire on police while resisting arrest in East Jerusalem.



Three other Palestinians were injured in the Israeli police raid, eyewitnesses said.



For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.



Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.



In September 2000, a visit to the site by controversial Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked what later became known as the "Second Intifada," a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.



By Turgut Alp Boyraz



englishnews@aa.com.tr



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