Police contain riot at sensitive Jerusalem holy site

[cali]

(Updates with details of clash, Hamas condemnation)

JERUSALEM, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Israeli police fired tear-gas and stun grenades on Sunday to disperse some 150 Palestinians who began hurling stones as foreign tourists visited a sensitive religious site in the Old City.

Nine policemen were hurt, a police spokesman said, and medics said 13 Palestinians were treated for injuries after the clash, which occurred as Jews prepared to celebrate their holiest day and police were on high alert at known flashpoints.

Protesters threw stones, chairs and whatever they could lay hands on as riot police rushed to the scene. Video showed them trying to drive police away from the doorway of the mosque, but there was no sign that police ever entered it during the clash.

One witness said police told him religious Palestinians at the holy site were angry over what they considered the immodest dress of some of the tourists, and grew violent after police ignored their complaints

<snip>

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLR406084

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. Palestinians were angry over what they considered the immodest dress of some of the tourists

How much you want to bet the tourists that upset the Muslims were female?

It's always females.

[cali]

2. There are a lot of conflicting- very conflicting- reports on this incident

some say that Settlers were setting up an encampment and that that's what precipitated the violence. It's hard to know what went down.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. Maybe so, but I have been in Israel a few times and...

Any time I was in the Old City, I was looked at with scorn. And I don't think it's because I'm American. I'm white but could probably pass as ethnic because of my dark hair, but I wear jeans and shorts and Muslim males seethe with violent anger when they see a female dressed that way. They want to control the way females dress, live, what they eat, breathe, think, etc.

[pennylane100]

7. Well I heard that jewish extremists are just as fanatic about how their women act.

I remember one news article that a group of hasidic males were throwing metal chairs at women trying to pray (or wail) at the wailing wall. Whats even more bizarre, they are exempt from military service. So they do not have to fight and die for their country, they just want to control it and who lives in it. Religious extremism , and I mean any religion, is hateful and dangerous.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

9. I've stood at the Wall in my jeans and not had a thing thrown at me

And I've stood there plenty of times

Of course, I haven't gone in a halter top, either. I don't think anyone would show up in a halter top to a church.

[Violet_Crumble]

10. Good for you, but that doesn't mean that Jewish religious extremists aren't just as fanatic....

Just that you were lucky enough not to be attacked by any....

[Sarah Ibarruri]

18. Excuse me? I lived in Jerusalem, and tho I don't dress slutty or anything, I do

wear jeans and t-shirts and so on. Never, once, have I been attacked by a religious Jew. I never ventured out into Muslim areas, however, after a very bad incident my husband and I experienced. The Muslim religion is the most misogynist at present. Just when I think they've done the most misogynist things they could've they prove me wrong.

So please spare me. Speak to someone who has no knowledge of this.

[Violet_Crumble]

20. Who gives a fuck whether you lived there? Everyone knows Jewish extremists do attack women...

So spare everyone the bullshit where you use yr own personal anecdotes to try to make out they don't attack women. They do, and I'm not interested in giving any religion a pass in its treatment of women the way you do....

[Sarah Ibarruri]

21. OH so it's better to hear the rendition of someone who is clueless and has never been there, huh?

Kinda like the way Republicans who have never been further than their local Walmart talk about France.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Violet_Crumble]

23. I'm 110% positive the women who've been attacked by Jewish extremists live in Jerusalem...

There ya go...

[proteus_lives]

25. It's your fault silly. You broke one of DU's unwritten rules

Throw all the venom you want at Israel but don't you dare criticize Islam!

:puke: Huh?

[Violet_Crumble]

26. Excuse me? I wasn't throwing venom at Israel...

Also, you were posting in this forum at the same time that poster left some now deleted very ugly and bigoted comments about Muslims. Surely yr not going to try to argue that the things that poster said about Muslims is merely criticism of Islam?

on edit: If you didn't see what they said, let me know and I'll PM you exactly what they said so you can tell me if you find what was said to be merely criticism of Islam...

[proteus_lives]

27. I actually didn't.

So I wouldn't mind the PM.

But I do believe there is a double-standard on DU when it comes to Islam and other religions.

[Violet_Crumble]

28. Check yr inbox n/t

[shaayecanaan]

14. There are plenty of Muslims and Jews in the vicinity of the wall...

so presumably the fact that no one hurled stones at you while you were standing there is testament to the humanity of both.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[oberliner]

4. Some say?

Can you clarify where you got that information?

Who says that settlers were setting up an encampment?

[cali]

6. Palestinian News sources

http://english.wafa.ps/?action=detail&id=13137
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/09/200992784647877.html

I read the encampment thing in a diary over at kos that has been deleted so I apologize for repeating that claim. I can't find any corroboration of it.

[oberliner]

8. Very interesting articles

The first link I found to be especially curious.

What is the basis for its claim that "extremist Jewish groups declared their intention to attack the Aqsa Mosque" I wonder.

[Violet_Crumble]

11. Just taking a guess....

Maybe the basis for saying that extremist Jewish groups declared their intention to attack the Aqsa Mosque is because extremist Jewish groups declared their intention to do that? I mean, it's not like religious extremists haven't threatened to attack religious sites in the past or anything...

[oberliner]

12. Then where is the reporting on that?

Any legitimate news source which made a claim like that ought to provide some evidence for that claim. What is the name of the extremist Jewish group? What sort of attack were they planning? How did this news source become aware of the plans for this attack?

None of this information is provided in the article.

I cannot imagine that anyone could take an article like this seriously with its complete lack of basic journalism.

[Violet_Crumble]

13. Did you miss the bit where I said I was taking a guess? It appears so...

And it's a reasonable guess to anyone who knows that Jewish extremist groups in the past have threatened religious sites....

btw, Oberliner. Has it occured to you to go looking for more information on what happened? I did, and found a Reuters article which while it doesn't talk about any threats to storm the mosque, does say that hardline religious settlers were present.

'The visitors were probably mistaken for Jewish worshippers because a group of 200 mostly religious and right-wing Jews had gathered in the early morning at the gate through which police allow tourists access to the holy site.

"There was a large group of Jewish settlers who gathered outside Al-Aqsa and tried to break in," said a Palestinian witness who would give his name only as Abu Raed.

"Some of them entered and went all the way to the heart of the compound, where there were people praying ... They were Jewish settlers dressed as tourists," he said.'

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j3cfhzhB_1tAFzofVTvFI3fj0yAA

Not sure if this article falls into yr *shoddy journalism* pile, but there ya go. There is info out there if you want to take the time to look....

[oberliner]

29. Nothing about "extremist Jewish groups declaring their intention to attack the Aqsa mosque"

That's the claim that was reported in the WAFA article with no evidence to support it.

No other article online that I've come across, including the source you've provided here, contains any evidence of such a declaration, and I have certainly taken the time to look.

[Ken Burch]

17. Wouldn't put it past the settler crazies-wouldn't put it past crazies on the Pal side to do it

without an encampment.

[pennylane100]

5. When a visitor violaties the dress code of a holy place,,

it is much better to politely ask then to leave, rather than cause a riot, especially if you are under occupation and know the police will come and do a lot of damage to you holy place., Someone should explain to them the concept of knowing when to pick your battles.

[pelsar]

15. another day another excuse......

everyday immodest jewish women board busses...every so often it ticks off some religious person (whos mad at something....) and causes a mini scandal and we read about the intolerance of the jewish religious people....it becomes a new item.

it can happen any day and doesnt really need anything special to start it....

same holds true for the mini riot at the mosques......a tourist locations as well as religious site.....the religious people (this time muslims) can decide to get mad at something and take it out on the toursts/police there.

it doesn't have to be anything significant or anything different from the day before.....it can be a "bad hair" day for one of the devout.....or someone who is pissed at his wife and decides to take it out one some one else....and cause an intl incident
____________

[proteus_lives]

24. Yep.

It's one of DU's ugly little hypocrisies. Jewish fundies are somehow a thousand times worse then Muslim fundies. Throw all the venom you want at Israel but don't you dare criticize Islam! Makes me :puke:

[Ken Burch]

16. In Jerusalem, is there such a thing as a NON-sensitive holy site?

This was an ugly scene(if hardly unusual and hardly restricted to acts by Palestinians against Israelis), but what message would you like to take from this?

Shit like this happens there, and is done by all communities there, all the time, from what I've heard.