Sunday, October 25, 2009

Police Arrest 18 at Jerusalem Holy Site

Israeli police stormed the Jerusalem compound known as Temple Mount to the Jewish community and Haram Al-Sherif to the Muslims twice on Sunday. The police came to the site after reports of rocks being thrown at security forces by Muslim youth. Muslim leaders, on the other hand, say that nothing was done to bring about the raids; they were simply praying. Palestinians think that it's just a way for the Israelis to prove their occupation and control over the area. The first time the police stormed the area, they deployed tear gas on the Palestinians and arrested twelve people. The disturbances continued, and the police came back to the site again. This time they used stun grenades to break up the rioters. Negotiations between the police and Palestinians lasted for three hours, which also included phone calls to the capitals of Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, before the Palestinians agreed to leave the area. After a total of five hours, eighteen people had been arrested, about 25 Palestinians were injured, and nine Israeli police officers were injured. The standoff continues to show the tense relations between the Palestinians and Israelis in the area.

By Kelly Martin

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