Security Council ‘gravely concerned’ over Temple Mount violence
Sourec: Times of Israel
UN calls for calm, restraint at holy site as Israeli forces brace for more unrest after Friday prayers
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council is expressing “grave concern” after violence this week at Jerusalem’s holiest site and is calling for restraint and calm.
The council statement was issued late Thursday after three days of clashes at the hilltop compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, or Haram al-Sharif, and to Jews as the Temple Mount.
The clashes began Sunday morning, with security forces seizing pipe bombs at the site in an operation carried out hours before Jews prepared to celebrate the Jewish New Year. The Shin Bet security service alerted police to the cache, apparently an effort by Palestinians to stock up on bombs, flares and rocks ahead of an organized riot.
The police said its forces had entered the site after protesters began throwing stones and firecrackers at the Mughrabi Gate, the access point for non-Muslim visitors to the site. Police said that protesters had wedged open a door to the mosque, which officers had later closed, allowing visits to the Temple Mount to continue as scheduled.
Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/security-council-gravely-concerned-over-temple-mount-violence/