Stun grenades used to disperse Palestinian worshippers

Police stormed a disputed Jerusalem holy site today, throwing stun grenades to disperse hundreds of Palestinian worshippers who threw stones at police and Jewish visitors.

The confrontation came as Israel marked “Jerusalem Day", the anniversary of its capture of traditionally Arab east Jerusalem during the 1967 Mideast war. The disputed holy site, the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, is in the eastern sector of Jerusalem, claimed by the Palestinians as a future capital.

Some 3,000 police were stationed in Jerusalem today to prevent possible clashes.

Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said hundreds of Palestinians threw stones at Jewish visitors touring Al Aqsa and at police accompanying the tour group. Additional forces stormed the walled compound, throwing stun grenades to disperse the crowd, Ben-Ruby said.

A Palestinian man who tried to attack a Jewish visitor was arrested, he said. Two Jewish visitors were slightly hurt by stones.

The mosque compound, home to the Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques, is one of the most volatile areas in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The site is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, home to their biblical temples. In 2000, a demonstrative visit by then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon triggered bloody protests that escalated into more than four years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

After the outbreak of fighting, the mosque compound was closed to non-Muslims for some time. However, tours by visitors of other faiths resumed last year. Jewish visitors are accompanied by police to prevent friction with Muslim worshippers.