Palestinians Scuffle With Police at Har HaBayis

Violence flared again at the Moslems’ Golden Gate on Har HaBayis on Tuesday evening as dozens of Palestinians tried to force their way into the site and were repelled by Israeli police.

Nineteen Palestinians were arrested, according to The Associated Press.

Scuffles with police ensued after the protesters removed an iron gate at the entrance to the site. Some Palestinians were reportedly injured, including one who was identified as Nasser Qos, a senior Fatah official in the Old City of Yerushalayim, The Jerusalem Post reported.

In recent days, Palestinians have been agitating for the opening of the gate, which has been closed for years due to alleged political activity at the religious site.

Some Palestinians are hoping to provoke a crisis over Har HaBayis like the one that rocked the city in 2017 over the installation of metal detectors.

The timing appears linked to the upcoming elections, the Post observed. The provocateurs believe that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would be reluctant to see a conflagration at the site, and that concessions could be won at this time.

Meanwhile, it was reported that Israel and Jordan had reached understandings to end the current agitation, but that was not confirmed.