Monday, June 06, 2005 14:56 IST
JNW HEADLINE NEWSMuslim intolerance marks Jerusalem Day
By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial StaffJune 6th, 2005
Festivities marking the 38th anniversary of Jerusalem's reunification under Israeli sovereignty Monday were overshadowed by Muslim violence against Jews visiting the capital's Temple Mount.
Jerusalem Police Chief Ilan Franco agreed to allow Jewish groups to ascend the Mount to mark Jerusalem Day, believing the large number of police deployed in the capital would deter Muslim aggression.
Typically, Jews and Christians are forbidden to gather on the Temple Mount in large numbers, and can be arrested for offending Muslim sensibilities by saying prayers atop the biblical holy site.
As Jews entered the compound Monday morning they were set upon by hundreds of stone-throwing Arabs. At least two Jews were lightly wounded.
Police rushed the area and managed to rescue the beleaguered Jews by firing stun grenades at their Muslim assailants.
The Arabs also hurled stones upon Jewish worshipers at the Western Wall some 100 feet below.
The Muslim belligerence managed to put an end to Jewish visits to the site for the day.
Elsewhere in the city, Israelis from around the country celebrated the 1967 Six Day War victory that saw the entirety of the holy city return to Jewish control for the first time in nearly two thousand years.
Events included parades, outdoor concerts, memorial services for the soldiers who fell liberating the eastern half of the city, and a special Knesset session commemorating the reunification.
Many local Arab residents marked the day by hanging black flags of mourning from their windows.
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