Visit to holy site by far-right Israeli politician sparks Jerusalem unrest

Members of Jewish youth movements dance and wave Israeli flags on the eve of Jerusalem Day, an Israeli holiday celebrating the capture of the Old City during the 1967 Middle East war, next to the Western Wall in Jerusalem (Tsafrir Abayov/AP)

A far-right Israeli politician, joined by scores of ultranationalist supporters, entered Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site early on Sunday, prompting a crowd of Palestinians to begin throwing rocks and fireworks towards nearby Israeli police.

The unrest erupted ahead of a mass ultranationalist Israeli march planned through the heart of the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City later on Sunday. Some 3,000 Israeli police officers were deployed throughout the city ahead of the march.