JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli police say they have arrested five Palestinians for allegedly “causing a disturbance” at a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site.
The men took part in a prayer protest Monday outside a section of the hilltop compound that has been closed by Israeli court order for over a decade.
Muslim religious officials convened in the closed area last week, and Israeli police placed a lock on a fence in response. Videos purportedly of Monday’s incident show several men damaging the fence.
The site - known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary - is considered the holiest place in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. Any change to the status quo, no matter how minor, has the potential to ignite tensions.
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