JERUSALEM: Israeli authorities announced on Tuesday they were closing the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem to Jews and other non-Muslim visitors until the end of Ramadan, after two days of clashes between worshipers and Israeli police.
The decision will apply until next week, when the Muslim holy month ends, a police spokeswoman told a foreign news agency.
Clashes between Muslims and Israeli police have been taking place every morning since Sunday during protests against Jewish visits to the site during Ramadan.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday that its medical team took seven Palestinians to an East Jerusalem hospital for treatment of injuries from sponge-tipped bullets, tear gas and beatings.
Palestinian officials said the trouble began when Israel allowed Jewish visitors into the al-Aqsa compound, the third holiest site in Islam, in breach of an agreement that allows only Muslim worshipers to enter during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
