Jerusalem clashes continue as Jordan’s king encourages Israel to exercise caution

Jordan’s King Abdullah II urged Israel on Sunday to “cease all unlawful and provocative acts” that aggravate the situation in occupied Jerusalem and to respect the current historical and legal position.

His words come two days after almost 20 people were wounded in a series of events in and around Jerusalem’s sensitive Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Israeli officials have been accused by Palestinian officials of attempting to partition the delicate sacred site.

The new fights bring the total number of wounded to more than 170 since Friday, at a critical period when the Jewish Passover celebration falls on the same day as Ramadan.

Palestinians anticipate another week of tension-filled Ramadan as hardline Jewish organizations chant, “This Passover is in Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 19 Palestinians were injured, including at least five who were hospitalised, during Sunday’s clashes near the mosque. Five of them were hospitalized.

According to the report, others were wounded by rubber-coated steel bullets.

Israeli police pelted Bab Huttah road with rubber bullets and sound bombs on a regular basis.

According to Palestinian sources in Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers converted the Al-Aqsa compound into a military barracks after invading the site before 7 a.m. on Sunday and clearing its courtyards of worshippers.

The military encircled a group of individuals inside the Al-Qibli prayer mosque and shot rubber bullets at them through the broken windows on Friday.

According to Israeli sources, an Egyptian secret agency delegation paid a brief visit to Israel on Friday to coordinate direct mediation efforts in light of the current escalation, which threatens to destabilise the Gaza Strip.

According to the sources, Egypt’s side asked that Hamas’ leadership “manage the situation” in the Gaza Strip, expressing concern that any mistake will result in a new wave of rocket launches from the Gaza Strip across Egypt’s borders, escalating the situation beyond repair.

The Israeli Channel 12, meanwhile, stated that Israeli right-wing extremist MK Itamar Ben-Gvir was considering transferring his office from the Sheikh Jarrah district to the Damascus Gate region in Jerusalem.

The channel claimed that Ben-Gvir sent a message to the commander of the Jerusalem police on Sunday, saying: “If violence by the Palestinians continues in Jerusalem, and if the political level does not allow you to act freely against them, I will open a parliamentary office at Damascus Gate in the coming days.”

Hamas stated in a statement that it holds Israel accountable for the consequences of striking Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque before dawn on Sunday and permitting colonial settlers to raid and damage the mosque, which incites the Palestinian people, Arabs, and Muslims worldwide.

The Hamas statement added: “The Palestinian people will face the occupation’s continuous assault against the Palestinian worshipers and defy its wicked plots of the temporal and spatial sanctuary of Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. The Palestinian people are dedicated to safeguarding Al-Aqsa Mosque and sacred territory at any costs.”

Nevertheless, the last time the month of Ramadan coincided with Passover and Easter was three decades ago, when thousands of followers from all three faiths arrived to the old city area at the same time.