Ahmad Gharabli, AFP | Israeli security forces detain Palestinian protesters during clashes following prayers outside Jerusalem's Old City on July 21.

Deadly clashes erupted between Palestinian protestors and Israeli forces outside Jerusalem's Old City Friday, amid tensions over new security measures at the highly sensitive holy site known as both the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque.

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The Palestinian health ministry said three Palestinians had been killed in the fighting, which erupted during a protest over new metal detectors installed at the sacred site for both Muslims and Jews.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 391 people had also been wounded in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Israeli police made 29 arrests in Jerusalem and the West Bank and said five officers had been slightly injured, coming under attack with stones and fireworks.

Metal detectors and restricted access



Israeli ministers said the metal detectors would remain at the entrances to the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound – known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount – following an attack a week ago that killed two policemen.

In anticipation of the protests on Friday, Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for prayers while women were allowed in.

Muslim leaders had urged the faithful not to enter the sacred compound until Israel removed the devices, characterising the new security measures as an encroachment on Muslim rights, a charge Israel denies.

The city's top Muslim cleric, Mohammed Hussein, told worshippers that he expects a "long battle of wills" with Israel.

Jersusalem clashes - FRANCE24's Irris Makler

Shin Bet (Israel’s security service) has argued against the metal detectors, Israeli media reported, warning that they could lead to outbreaks of violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The dispute over the detectors has led to rising tensions between Israel and the Muslim world. Jordan, the custodian of the Jerusalem shrine, has repeatedly appealed to Israel to remove them. The two countries cooperate closely on regional security issues, but frequently disagree on Israel's policies at the shrine.

The shrine sits at the centre of rival Israeli and Palestinian national narratives and has triggered major confrontations in the past. The raised 37-acre (15-hectare) platform in Jerusalem houses the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque. It is the third-holiest site of the Islamic faith, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. The compound is Judaism's holiest site.

'If Al Aqsa goes, we lose everything'

On Friday, thousands of worshippers gathered in the streets near the shrine, laying out their prayer mats under a scorching sun as volunteers distributed water.

Jerusalem resident Hashem Abu Diab, 60, led the crowd at Lion's Gate in chants of "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great," before noon prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week.

Abu Diab said the dispute has united Jerusalem's Palestinians, who consider the compound their last sanctuary from Israel's 50-year occupation of the eastern part of the city.

Palestinian Makassed Hospital in Occupied Jerusalem is calling for urgent blood donation. Many wounded at #AlAqsa protest pic.twitter.com/ve6rkI9TUr — Abbs Winston (@AbbsWinston) July 21, 2017

"The Al Aqsa Mosque is the last place we have in this country," he said. "If Al Aqsa goes, we lose everything. We don't leave until they remove the metal detectors."

Israeli police said in a statement that the metal detectors would remain in place, but suggested that police may at times choose only to conduct spot checks.

"Israeli police can decide on the level of checks," said police spokeswoman Luba Samri.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who oversees autonomous enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, asked the United States to "intervene urgently" and compel Israel to remove metal detectors, according to Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.

Abbas discussed the growing tensions in Jerusalem in a phone call with US President Trump's top adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Abu Rudeineh said, warning that the situation is "extremely dangerous and may go out of control".

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

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