Violence at Jerusalem Holy Site Leads to 150+ Palestinians Being Hospitalized

What Happened:

Days of mounting tension between Palestinians and Israeli troops came to a head on Monday when violence erupted at the Temple Mount (known as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims), one of Jerusalem’s holiest sites.
The violence began early Monday morning when Palestinian protesters barricaded the walls of the compound and began throwing rocks at Israeli Police deployed outside. Police responded by entering the compound and firing tear gas and stun grenades resulting in at least 215 Palestinians being injured and 153 being hospitalized, a few in critical condition.
Monday’s confrontation was just the latest in a city that has experienced multiple confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli police over the past few weeks, resulting in hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of police officers being injured.
Israel has come under growing international criticism for taking what some consider to be a heavy-handed approach with Palestinians during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Ofir Gendelman, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, has defended the actions saying Israel guarantees freedom of worship, “not the freedom to riot and attack innocent people.”
The US, EU and UN have all made expressions of concern over the growing tensions and nearly nightly violence in the area and the US has called on Israel to “pursue appropriate measures to ensure calm.”

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