Israeli police say they have closed the entrances to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site after Palestinian suspects threw a firebomb at a police station.

Police chased after the suspects, and clashes broke out on the hilltop compound as police scuffled with Palestinians. Police say they arrested three suspects.

The site is known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The spot is a frequent flashpoint of violence.

Tensions have been heightened in recent weeks after Muslim worshippers reopened an area closed by Israel in 2003.

Israel and Jordan, the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, are in negotiations to resolve the dispute.