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| Violence at Jerusalem holy site | |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Violence has broken out at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque after Israeli police moved in to break up crowds of stone-throwing Palestinian protesters. | |
| Hundreds of police poured into the disputed holy site in the Old City, firing rubber bullets and tear gas. | |
| There are reports that a number of Palestinians protesters have barricaded themselves inside the mosque. | |
| They have been angered by controversial renovation work on Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif. | |
| The building work is a prelude to the construction of a new walkway leading to the compound containing the mosque - Islam's third holiest site. | |
| Palestinians say it could damage the foundations of the compound and Muslim leaders had called for a "day of anger" on Friday to voice their opposition to the move. | |
| Plan of the holy sites | |
| The Israeli authorities say renovations are needed to safeguard the ancient site and have guaranteed that there will be no structural damage to the area. | The Israeli authorities say renovations are needed to safeguard the ancient site and have guaranteed that there will be no structural damage to the area. |
| SACRED TO MUSLIMS Site of Prophet Muhammad's first prayers and ascent into Heaven, home to al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock SACRED TO JEWS Site of first and second Temples and the rock on which Abraham offered his son as a sacrifice Clickable guide to holy sites | |
| The compound is also revered by Jews as the site of their biblical temples. | |
| Israeli police say 17 protesters and 15 police officers have been injured in the clashes. | |
| The BBC's Matthew Price in Jerusalem says that although at present these are relatively minor skirmishes, such is the sensitivity of this site that it has the potential to trigger much greater violence elsewhere. | |
| There have been widespread protests among Palestinians and the wider Muslim world since the excavations began on Tuesday. | |
| The compound area has been a flashpoint for violence since Israel captured it during the 1967 Middle East war. | |
| In 1996, Israel's opening of an exit to a tunnel near the site triggered riots in which 80 people died in clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops. | |
| And in 2000, the Palestinian uprising began at the mosque following a controversial tour of the site by Israel's then opposition leader, Ariel Sharon. | |
| Since 1967, the compound has remained under Muslim jurisdiction in conjunction with neighbouring Jordan. | |
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