Dozens of Palestinians and six police officers were injured in the clashes that broke out on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem: video images of the incidents showed protesters throwing stones, bottles, chairs at the police, who responded using stun grenades, gas tear gas and rubber bullets.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 53 Palestinians were injured in the clashes, mostly around the Temple Mount and near the Damascus Gate. There are said to be 23 Palestinians hospitalized, including one who was shot in the head with a rubber bullet.
Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas holds the Israeli government fully responsible for the current escalation in Jerusalem and any ensuing consequences. In a statement broadcast on television, Mahmoud Abbas announced that he had instructed the Ambassador to the United Nations to request an emergency session of the UN Security Council to implement the resolutions on Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories.
“Settler terrorism will only make us more determined to enforce our legitimate rights to end the occupation, gain freedom and independence, and establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the eternal capital,” he said, according to as reported by the Palestinian agency Wafa.