Violent clashes at al-Aqsa mosque

[Bolo Boffin]

Israeli police have entered the area surrounding Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque to break up stone-throwing Palestinian protesters.

Police poured into the disputed holy site in Jerusalem's Old City, firing rubber bullets and tear gas.

There are reports that a number of protesters have barricaded themselves inside the mosque.

The protest was sparked by renovation work on Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif.

[BushOut06]

1. You know the fundies are loving this

The final "prophecy" that they believe needs to be fulfilled is the retaking of the al-Aqsa mosque, which they believe is the site of Solomon's Temple. Once that is back in Jewish hands, the Rapture can occur, then the whole world will go to hell. Quite the fundamentalist wet dream.

[mallard]

2. And they caucus....

The strategy won't work this time either. Different books and text involve much different interpretions than theirs of the meaning of harm coming to that mosque.

[BushOut06]

3. True, but the scary thing is they actually encourage this sort of stuff

They would love nothing more than to see a full-blown war between the Jews and Palestinians, culminating with the retaking of the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam's most holy shrines. Nevermind what this would actually mean for Islamic-Western relations.

This is why fundies are so dangerous, IMHO.

[spinbaby]

4. The BBC had great coverage of this this morning

They had cameras there and had minute-by-minute coverage that informed without exaggerating the situation. It actually did not look that bad--lots of random running around, the occasional tear-gas canister going off. There were also reports of a seige situation with people barricaded inside.

American TV had wall-to-wall Anna Nicole Smith.

[Scurrilous]

5. Rioters leave Temple Mt. peacefully after clashes

<snip>

"Israeli-Arab protesters on Friday agreed to leave Temple Mount peacefully after clashing with police to protest Israeli renovation work near the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem.

About 200 police officers entered the area around the Al-Aqsa Mosque and hurled stun grenades to disperse Muslim protesters there midday Friday, as hundreds of demonstrators threw stones at security forces

The peaceful conclusion to the tense incident was reached with the mediation of MK Talab al-Sana (United Arab List), who managed to persuade rioters to leave the compound without hurling rocks or causing provocation. Police said it would use force to disperse the protesters if the revert back to violence.

At least 15 police officers in the area were lightly hurt, six of whom were evacuated to receive further treatment and the others were treated at the scene. Police arrested 17 protesters.

There were no specific reports of injuries among the protesters but some of them also appeared to be wounded."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/823799.html

[rodeodance]

6. Violence erupts at Jerusalem holy site

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070209/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_holy_site

Violence erupts at Jerusalem holy site

By DALIA NAMMARI, Associated Press Writer 20 minutes ago

JERUSALEM - Israeli police stormed the grounds of Islam's third-holiest shrine Friday, firing stun grenades and tear gas to disperse thousands of Muslim worshippers who hurled stones, bottles and trash in an eruption of outrage over Israeli renovation nearby.


The clash at the end of noon prayers came after days of mounting tensions over the work and raised concern that protests at the site could spread to the
West Bank and Gaza, as they did at the start of the second Palestinian uprising in 2000. No serious injuries were reported.

About 200 police streamed on to the hilltop compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, to try to quell Muslims rioting over the repair work on a centuries-old ramp, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Clouds of tear gas rose up at the holy site and stun grenades set off sharp booms. A doctor treating some of the injured, Dr. Khalil el-Baba, said officers fired rubber bullets at protesters, but police denied that.

[underpants]

7. THERE WILL BE NO FIGHTING IN THE WAR ROOM!!

Different but sort of the same.

DON'T FIGHT AT HOLY SITES!!

[Tin Man]

8. Good thing we're stabilizing the Middle East through our presence in Iraq

...otherwise this Jerusalem thing could get outta hand. :sarc: