国际英语资讯:Clashes break out in East Jerusalem as Al-Aqsa row spirals

JERUSALEM, July 21 -- Clashes broke out in East Jerusalem and elsewhere in the occupied West Bank after Israel limited Muslim access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, officials and local media reported.

The Red Crescent said that at least six worshippers were wounded in clashes near the Lions' Gate in East Jerusalem's Old City.

According to police spokeswoman Luba Samri, dozens of Palestinians started to hurl stones at the police after the prayers at flashpoint site have ended.

The police fired stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets to disperse them, local media said.

In the Qalandia checkpoint, located between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah, some 100 protesters clashed with soldiers, said the reports.

The clashes were triggered by Israel's move to ban Muslim men under 50 from the compound.

The move came after Israel's security cabinet decided not to remove the metal detectors installed at the entrances to the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, following a shooting attack nearby last Friday that killed two policemen.

The military and the police boosted their presence with five army brigades that were put on call and 3,000 of police officers were deployed outside the compound area.

Tensions have been high in East Jerusalem since Israel installed the controversial electronic gates on Sunday, after three Arab citizens of Israel carried out a shooting attack last Friday, killing two Israeli policemen. The assailants were shot dead by the police.

Worshippers have been refusing to enter due to the new metal detectors, with Palestinians charging the step is an Israeli attempt to claim further control over the site. The measures sparked daily clashes between worshippers and police, with dozens of Palestinian injuries.

The Palestinians, as well as some Arab countries, urged Israel to remove the gates, saying it was a violation of the long-held status quo under which the Muslim Waqf is in charge of running the site.