Just like the ignorant and baseless statements in Afghanistan about a book burning, so to - claims of an israeli take-over of the mosque are baseless, but for people who do not care about life - so what. Make the claim, rile of the youth, send them to be beaten or killed - it all serves your purpose. Evil. And the masses are too ignorant to know any different.
Clashes erupt at Temple Mount after 'Jewish conquest' rumour
Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem
From Times Online October 25, 2009
Clashes erupted anew at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site today as Israeli security forces stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and fired stun grenades at Palestinians hurling rocks.
There were tense stand-offs in the narrow alleyways that snake around the compound, as Israeli security forces took up positions to try to prevent Palestinians from reaching the mosque. In a crossroads popularly known as the "point of conflict" Palestinian teenagers taunted police by throwing rocks and ducking into deserted shops as they chanted "God is great, the mosque is ours".
Israeli police retaliated with stun grenades and formed barricades to disperse hundreds of protesters from trying to push their way towards the mosque.
A 22-year-old who gave his name as Amar said that he had been detained last week for hurling stones at a passing Israeli patrol, but returned again today.
"They start this. They incite this and then we respond and they make it look like we are the bad guys," he told The Times. "We are protecting something very important to us and they know that this is important and that's why they try to make us angry by sending their settlers there."
He gathered with the rest of the protesters, largely young males, and discussed how they could thwart the Israeli police stationed at the bottom of the alleyway. Dressed in jeans and T-shirts, many of the boys – including Amar – wrapped fabric around their faces to avoid identification by the police.
"This is not big enough yet, we don't have all the Palestinians behind us. But one day we will and then we will not have to hide our faces," he said.
Along a stone corridor adjacent to the mosque, dozens of older Palestinian males formed a makeshift group to pray. It was a solemn moment in the midst of the protests, which was interrupted when a group of Palestinian teenagers marched through and confronted Israeli police.
One police officer, who gave his first name as Danny, said that the protests were "unnecessary".
"These are kids that have been whipped into a frenzy by something they believe is happening here. This is all unnecessary and at the end of the day serves no one." At the end of the day, Israeli police succeeded in clearing the area and announced that it would be reopened for prayer tomorrow. Eighteen Palestinians and three Israeli police officers were injured, and 15 protesters were taken into custody, said officials.
The trouble started in the morning and was the latest in a series of clashes that have erupted over access to the compound.
Muslim leaders claim that Jews are attempting to "conquer" the Al-Aqsa mosque, and claim it as their own. Local Arabic radio stations broadcast stories this weekend that Jews planned to enter the site to pray, or to dig under the compound and harm buildings there, prompting calls for Muslims to "defend" the site.
Israeli officials said they had carried out archeological excavations in the area, but that the work did not threaten existing structures in the area. Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, said the accusations against Israel were "baseless lies".
The compound in Jerusalem's Old City has become one of the most volatile points of conflict in the city. It is revered as the holiest sites in Judaism as the location of the biblical Temples. It is also the third holiest site in Islam, believed to be the spot where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
The compound has been under Israeli control since 1967, but is administered by a Muslim religious body known as the Waqf. Muslims can pray at the site, and there are several hours each day when tourists, including Jews, can visit.
Rabbi Yehuda Glick, head of the Jewish Temple Mount Institute, campaigns for the right of Jews to visit and pray at the compound.
"We represent the majority of Israel, of Jewish society," he said. "I will be tolerant to Muslim prayer on Temple Mount, but in this democratic country everyone has the right to pray in the holiest site in the world."
Despite criticism from a number of Arab leaders that his group is inciting the violence by pushing to enter the sensitive site, he insisted that his group was peaceful.
Israel's response to the riots has drawn condemnation from across the Muslim world.
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