Israeli Police, Muslim Rioters Clash

Hundreds of angry Islamic worshippers throw shoes and stones and scuffled with police on Friday Feb. 9, 2007 in an eruption of outrage over contentious Israeli renovation work at a disputed Old City holy site. Several dozen protesters barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa mosque at the compound, which is Islam's third-holiest site. The protesters are angry about Israeli repair work on an earthen ramp leading to the hilltop compound, which they fear will damage the mosque. (AP PHOTOAPTN) (AP)

When Israel opened a tunnel alongside the compound in 1996, it touched off clashes that killed 80 people. In 2000, when then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the site, the ensuing riots were followed by years of violence.

"There is no justification for what they did today, and we think it was pre-orchestrated to bring fears to the spirits of the worshippers angry about the Israeli dig," said Adnan Husseini, chairman of the Waqf, the Muslim trust that oversees the shrine.

Small protests began this week as soon as the Israelis began excavating.

On Friday, Jewish worshippers were evacuated from the Western Wall plaza at the foot of the compound as a precaution.

The situation grew especially volatile when 150 protesters barricaded themselves inside Al Aqsa. But police did not enter the mosque, and the protesters began leaving 90 minutes later, following negotiations between police and Muslim representatives.

Three hours after the initial clash, police and demonstrators still played cat and mouse in the narrow alleyways and on the rooftops of the nearby Old City.

But in other areas of the Old City, the scene was calm. Ten pilgrims speaking Russian and carrying wooden crosses walked down the Via Dolorosa, the path Christians believe Jesus took to his crucifixion.

In the West Bank, youths hurled stones at Israeli security forces at a major checkpoint leading into Jerusalem and near the town of Qalqiliya. South of the town of Bethlehem, Israeli troops fired rubber bullets at Palestinians rioting over the work at the holy site, slightly wounding three. No clashes erupted in a demonstration in the West Bank town of Hebron.

And in the northern Israeli town of Nazareth, about 5,000 Israeli Arabs marched to oppose the work at the mosque.

The Jerusalem compound has repeatedly been a flashpoint for violence between Israel and the Palestinians, and there were fears the violence could spread.

In Egypt, thousands of anti-riot police beat and chased dozens of protesters into side alleys and streets to prevent them staging a mass demonstration at Al-Azhar Mosque following Friday prayers. Witnesses said dozens of protesters were detained.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit demanded that Israel stop the construction and warned of escalation in tensions if it doesn't, the MENA news agency reported. And Jordan's King Abdullah said he would try to muster enough international support to pressure Israel to stop the work, according to the Petra news service.

Hundreds of Palestinians staged a sit-in at the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon, carrying pictures of Al Aqsa and chanting anti-Israeli slogans. Hundreds of Islamic fundamentalists also protested in the Lebanese port city of Sidon, while 3,000 Palestinians chanted anti-Israel slogans during a march in Syria's Yarmouk refugee camp.

In Jordan, about 2,000 worshippers marched in protest after Friday prayers, calling for the government to close down the Israeli Embassy in Amman and send its ambassador home.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, also called for Israel to halt work on the ramp.

"It has potential to disturb the most respected mosque for Muslims all over the world," said Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda. "We urge Israel to stop its archaeological excavation works around the holy Al Aqsa mosque."

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AP reporters Dalia Nammari in Jerusalem, Ben Curtis in Cairo, Egypt, Shafika Mattar in Amman, Jordan, and Zeina Karam in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed to this report.