Jerusalem Clash: 300 Palestinians Injured,Israel Accuses ‘Thugs’ For Riot At Holy Site

Following clashes at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount on Monday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said that about 300 people were injured by Israel’s security forces during a confrontation at holy sites.

Videos online showed hundreds of people throwing stones while the police shot tear gas at the crowd..

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The Palestine government accused Israel of deliberately raiding the Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking worshippers.

Palestine government also maintains that its capital is in Jerusalem.

But in a tweet by a media aide to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ofir Gendelman, he said “thugs” staged the riot at a time the nation was commemorating ‘Jerusalem Day’ – an Israeli national holiday marking the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israel.

“The Palestinian thugs who previously collected large quantities of stones, cranes and fireworks inside the Haram al-Sharif and polluted its yards are now cleaning the place.

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“They deliberately polluted this holy place and turned it into an arena for skirmishes. All responsibility for what happened today rests on their shoulders,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, the United States has advised both the Israeli and Palestinian government “to press for steps to ensure calm, deescalate tensions, and denounce violence”.

On its part, the United Nations Secretary General’s office is holding Israel responsible for the situation around Jerusalem’s holy sites.

“Israeli authorities must exercise maximum restraint and respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly,” Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General said.

However, Netanyahu had in a press briefing on Sunday, vowed that no pressure will make Israel cede any part of Jerusalem.

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He said that according to the Bible, Jerusalem belonged to Israel.

“We will not allow any extremist element to undermine the quiet in Jerusalem. We will uphold law and order – vigorously and responsibly. We will continue to guard freedom of worship for all faiths but we will not allow violent disturbances.

“In the same breath, I say to the terrorist organizations: Israel will respond powerfully to any act of aggression from the Gaza Strip.

“Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for thousands of years. Our roots in Jerusalem go back to Biblical times. Our continuous link with Jerusalem has been maintained in all generations,” he said.

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