Israeli police and pro-Palestinian protesters clashed outside Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Friday.
Despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas coming into effect hours beforehand, tensions between Israel and pro-Palestine supporters reached another breaking point.
After gathering at the mosque for Friday prayers, many pro-Palestine supporters stayed in the area to celebrate the aforementioned ceasefire by waving Palestinian flags.
However, spokesman of the Israeli police, Micky Rosenfeld, stated that pro-Palestinian supporters began to throw rocks and petrol bombs at officers manning the mosque’s gates.
In a formal statement, Rosenfeld said: “Hundreds of people threw rocks and petrol bombs at police officers who responded at the scene and began dispersing the rioters,”
“Units responded and entered the Temple Mount area. They are dealing with these disturbances in order to contain the situation… Police units are at the scene.”
In retaliation, police officers fired stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinian supporters. Though the clash ended “within about an hour”, reports state that “20 Palestinians were wounded, with two transferred to hospital for treatment.”
Israeli police stormed Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque hours after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, firing rubber bullets and stun grenades at Palestinians.
Witnesses say some Palestinians stayed after Friday prayers to celebrate the ceasefire. Police claim there were “riots.” pic.twitter.com/Mb8GWgT5OJ
— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 21, 2021
At the time of the clash, the conflict between Israel and Palestine had seen the deaths of “243 Palestinians” (with 66 of them being children) over an eleven-day period.
58,000 Palestinians living in Gaza having been displaced by Israeli airstrikes, and both Turkey and Jordan have gone on record to publicly condemn the Israeli police.
“We strongly condemn Israel’s attacks against the congregation after Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first qibla of Muslims, despite the cease-fire that went into effect yesterday,” said Turkey’s Presidential Communications Director, Fahrettin Altun.
Likewise, the spokesperson of Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, Deifallah Fayez, has echoed Altun’s sentiment, stating that the actions of the Israeli police were an example of “a dangerous escalation, provocative actions, and flagrant violations” made by Israel on the landscape of international law.
Israeli forces storm the al-Aqsa mosque and shoot tear gas and rubber bullets at worshippers on day 1 of the ceasefire, and we’re supposed to pretend that Israel isn’t actively trying to provoke a Palestinian response so that they “defend themselves” and kill more civilians.
— Emma Vigeland (@EmmaVigeland) May 21, 2021
Al-Aqsa Mosque, also known as the “Noble Sanctuary” in Islam, is known by the Jewish community as the “Temple Mount”.
To both Jewish and Islamic religions, the area is a site of immense religious significance, and has also played a significant role in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
