Violent clashes

Muslim protestors in the Al Aqsa
compound

The whole night was filled with prayers sung over the PA system of the Al Aqsa mosque. Thousands of crowds swarmed the streets as shops and hawker-stalls opened all night for muslims celebrating Eid al Adha ... the sacrifice of Ishmael by Abraham (not Isaac). However jews were also going by he thousands to the Western Wall to pray and lament because it's the feast of Tisha B'Av or the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples. That's where the trouble begins. The place of Ishmael's sacrifice is on a rock which the Dome of the Rock now encompasses .... but the jewish Temple was built over the same spot before the muslims came to build the mosque. As expected, this morning we saw violent clashes from jews and muslims over the same site. From the terrace of our house I could see the running battle inside the Mosque compound

Extremist jews pro-
voking muslims

At 7.30am we could already hear muslims chanting inside the Al Aqsa compound as well as in our street. Thousands had blocked our street chanting against jewish groups entering the Mosque precincts. Israeli police used stun grenades to disperse the muslim crowds ... but just as soon as they disperse, they re-gather to protest. Violence broke out inside the Mosque compound and in our street extremist jewish youths provoked muslims and clashes broke out. Riot police were rushing up and down our street while I took photos ... in between my israeli security friends. Things were really dangerous and at one point we had to even close our church doors. All shops and churches along our street (the Way of the Cross) were closed for security. Only we opened. Roads around the Old City were closed and traffic not allowed to go through. Everyone had to walk. Only the Light Rail train was working. But police and security were on super alert ... and rightly so.

So why was I out in such a volatile neighbourhood? Well firstly at 4.30am I had to go to the 24 hr bakery to buy bread. It's the feast of St. Clare and it's nice to eat fresh bread on a feast day instead of stale, frozen 4 day old bread. Then at 9am I had to send one of our students to the train station as he was leaving for the airport to go home. Being afraid of the massive jewish and muslim crowds at Damascus Gate and the violence that explodes every now and then ... he asked me to accompany him. It was on my way home alone that the clashes broke out on my street. First hand eye-witness ... original photos!

https://www.timesofisrael.com/clashes-break-out-on-temple-mount-between-muslim-protesters-israel-police/?fbclid=IwAR0Spx8OoUs32CmStfGBd5aMqo0W0S4YxYP9RtGQ8VXeuCRtNKIDsLi5nAY

Well there were violence also at the Gaza border as gazan infiltrators tried to enter Israel. What a Sunday! So much aggression, hatred, anger and violence ... what would St. Clare say?