2022 Al-Aqsa clashes

On 14 April, Al-Jazeera reported an increased likelihood of another Israeli-Palestinian confrontation due to increasing tensions in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.[21] In March and April 2022, Palestinians and Israeli Arabs carried out a series of violent attacks that led to the death of 17 Israelis, making it the deadliest period since 2006.[22] A United Nations agency estimated Israeli forces have killed at least 40 Palestinians since February, when tensions started to rise.[12][23]

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is one of the most contested religious sites in the world. It is considered the holiest site in Judaism, as it was the location of two Jewish temples in antiquity. For Muslims, the Mount is the site of the third sacred mosque in Islam, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. While the site has been controlled by Israel since 1967, it is administered by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf under the custodianship of Jordan. Some Palestinians believe that Israel is trying to change the status quo in various ways, for example, by allowing Jews to pray in the Temple Mount.[24][25][10] For them, Israel has broken a decades-old understanding[24] that allowed Jews to visit but not worship there.[25]

Shortly before the incident, a Jewish extremist religious group called Returning to the Mount announced that it intended to perform Passover sacrifices on the Temple Mount during the Jewish holiday of Passover.[26][12][17] On 14 April six members were arrested planning to sacrifice a goat on the Temple Mount.[27] Rumours had been circulating on social media that Jewish hard-liners were planning to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the weekend.[10]

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan the year before, nighttime demonstrations about evictions in Jerusalem and raids at the Al-Aqsa compound led, four days later, to an 11-day confrontation between Israel and Gaza.[21]

According to the Israeli police, Palestinian protesters began marching at around 4:00 AM with Palestinian and Hamas flags in the location around the mosque. Police statements indicate that the protests turned violent as demonstrators threw rocks at the Western Wall and lit firecrackers,[12] which police responded to by using tear gas and stun grenades against the crowd.[28] The protesters are then said to have attacked police officers with stones, injuring three.[12] The fighting was reported to have occurred near the Lions' Gate.[28]

Al Jazeera reported that "a number of occupation soldiers climbed on the roofs of buildings surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque. They evacuated the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque and closed most of the doors leading to it".[17] According to Ynet and Reuters news, "Police says forces entered the compound after the Ramadan morning prayer to break up a violent crowd that started rioting at the holy site and threw stones toward the nearby Jewish prayer space of the Western Wall; Police adds 3 officers lightly injured, as were 59 rioters."[29]

Some of the Palestinians barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque.[9] Police said that Palestinians had been stockpiling stones and throwing them from the mosque.[12] The New York Times stated that the confrontation started at about 5:30 a.m.[3] Palestinians said that the Israeli officers entered the building just after the Muezzin announced the Adhan, while police said that they had waited until after the prayers ended. Policemen evacuated worshippers from the mosque with police batons[10] as stun grenades and firecrackers used in the clashes caused a massive plume of smoke to go off. Israeli police temporarily blocked the Damascus Gate and restricted other entrances to exclude young men while permitting women, older men and children.[28] The police left six hours later and the mosque's routine went on without any incidents.[30]

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said 158 Palestinians had been injured, primarily by rubber bullets, stun grenades, and police batons.[31] Roughly 470 people were detained by Israeli forces.[30] On April 16, it was reported that 130 people were still imprisoned. Sixty-five minors were released with restraining orders, and 200 detainees were let free after questioning by law enforcement.[30]

On Friday evening, hundreds of Arab Israelis in Umm al-Fahm organized demonstrations to protest the Israeli incursion, some of which escalated into riots.[32] The same day, a Palestinian teenager stabbed and wounded a man in Haifa. The girl later admitted that she had done it in response to the storming of the mosque.[33][34] Channel 12 reported on April 16 that Egyptian authorities had convinced the Palestinian militant group Hamas not to fire rockets in response.[35]

On April 17, further violence began when the police confined Muslims already inside the compound and denied access to Muslims who were still outside the site. Jews were given an armed police escort around the compound.[36] Palestinians threw stones on three buses headed to the Western Wall. Seven passengers were injured.[37] Jewish worshippers wearing prayer shawls were attacked in the Old City.[38] Police officers entered the Temple Mount again, saying that Palestinian crowds were trying to prevent non-Muslims from entering the Mount.[39] Nine people were arrested and Palestinian medics said that 17 people were wounded.[40] A stabbing attempt in the Israeli settlement of Beit El was foiled by security forces.[41] The United Arab List (Ra'am) announced it would temporarily halt its coalition membership in the Government of Israel in protest against the situation at al-Aqsa.[42]

On April 15, UN Secretary General António Guterres said in a statement that provocations on the Holy Esplanade needed to cease and for the status quo to be upheld and respected.[43] According to the U.S State department, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi discussed the situation on 18 April and “Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount, and appreciation for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s special role as custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem,” Jordan’s King Abdullah, speaking with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that “provocative acts” by Israel violated “the legal and historic status quo” of the Muslim holy shrines.[42][44]

On April 22, Israeli police in full riot gear stormed the mosque after Palestinian stone throwing at a gate where they were stationed.[45][46] According to police, rioters had hurled stones and launched firecrackers at officers at early morning and had also barricaded themselves in the mosque.[47] Israeli police used a drone to fire tear gas into groups of Palestinians.[48] On 29 April, the last Friday of Ramadan, there were new clashes at the mosque following the prior weeks of violence in Israel and the West Bank. 42 Palestinians were wounded.[49][50]

• Temple Mount entry restrictions
• Timeline of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2022

• Timeline: Al-Aqsa raids, closures and restrictions

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