Ammon News - AMMAN/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Jordan on Saturday condemned Israeli soldiers’ assault on Palestinians performing Friday prayer at Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani denounced the attack, saying that Jordan has requested that the Israeli authorities prevent Jewish extremists from entering Al Aqsa Mosque by closing Bab Al Magharbeh, the main entrance for non-Muslim visitors to the mosque complex, but they still neglect that, paving the way for religious friction.

Momani voiced Jordan’s deep concern over the serious Israeli violations against the holy sites of Jerusalem, mainly Al Aqsa Mosque, calling on Tel Aviv to respect international laws and conventions on the occupied territories.

Israeli police fired stun grenades to disperse Palestinian worshippers who threw rocks at them after Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam’s third holiest site, a police spokesman said.

Dozens of officers entered the politically sensitive area in Jerusalem’s Old City to break up hundreds of protesters, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

He added that two policemen were slightly injured and 15 Palestinians arrested. The mosque is part of a site revered by Jews as well as Muslims, and is a frequent source of friction. It was not immediately clear what prompted this clash in particular.

Israeli security forces had beefed up their presence in the area during the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, which began on Wednesday.

Israel captured East Jerusalem including the walled Old City in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it as part of its capital in a move that is not recognised internationally.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they seek in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Israel has said Jerusalem will remain its “indivisible and eternal” capital.

The two sides resumed US-brokered peace talks in July after a three-year stalemate, though neither has expressed much optimism for a major breakthrough. (Agencies)