Israel confronts protesters near Jerusalem mosque

Israeli police raided a plaza near the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Sunday in response to stone-throwing protests by Palestinians, an Israeli police spokesman said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the confrontation taking place at the sensitive holy site, Islam's holiest in Jerusalem, which is also revered by Jews as the site where two biblical temples stood.                                          

Shmuel Ben-Ruby said police entered the compound when about 20 Palestinians threw stones, but that the protesters had quickly taken cover inside the mosque. Israeli police do not usually enter the area, other than in response to incidents. Police did not enter the mosque.                                           

One protester was arrested as the rock-throwing protests spread to the alleyways of the old walled city, Ben-Ruby added.

Adnan al-Husseini, a Palestinian official in charge of Jerusalem, said Palestinian youths had spent the night at the mosque saying Jewish hardliners had threatened to enter the site. The holy site has been a frequent flashpoint of violence in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.                                           

Tensions have been on the rise in Jerusalem and Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory over stalled peace talks which have not convened since before a Gaza war in December 2008.