On Sunday, hundreds of Jews visited the holy compound ahead of a contentious Jewish nationalist march through the Old City, and Israeli police clashed with Palestinians holed up inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque.
The annual Jerusalem procession commemorates Israel’s capture of the Old City during the 1967 Middle East war, attracting thousands of cheering, chanting participants to its narrow, stone streets.
Palestinian factions have warned that the flag-waving procession through the city’s Muslim quarter could rekindle their decades-long conflict with Israelis at a time of high tensions.
Police locked some Palestinians inside a mosque on the Al-Aqsa compound hours before the procession was scheduled to begin, as Jewish visitors arrived for daily tours of the compound, which is revered by both Muslims and Jews.
Palestinians hurled stones and fired fireworks at police, who retaliated with stun grenades.
Among the Jewish visitors were a dozen or so young men dressed in religious garb who smiled, sang, and clapped at the protesters. Other Jews held up Israeli flags and sang the national anthem as the crowds grew.
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