Muslim worshipers fought with Israeli police at one of Jerusalem’s holiest sites on Sunday, which marked the beginning of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Fourteen people were injured during the clashes and witnesses said two people were arrested, according to the Associated Press, which cited Palestinian emergency personnel.
The skirmishes took place at the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount, which is the holiest in the Jewish faith. Muslims refer to it as the Al-Asqa Mosque, and it is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
Located in Jerusalem’s Old City, the site became packed with worshipers of both faiths on Sunday for holiday prayers. Jews were commemorating the Ninth of Av, which observes the destruction of both Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC and Herod’s Temple by the Romans in AD 70.
Israeli police said Muslim worshipers were throwing stones and chairs at officers defending the entrance to the site, prompting a response of tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets.
Jordan condemned Israel for “irresponsible provocations” and sent a formal complaint to the Jewish state, holding Israel “completely responsible” for the clashes. Jordan controls the ceremonial and religious celebrations of the site.
Muslim worshipers congregated at the complex early Sunday morning after rumors spread that Israeli police would let Jewish visitors enter the site to pray. According to a long-standing tradition, Jews are not allowed to pray inside the site and must go to the Wailing Wall for prayers.
Israeli religious nationalists have challenged the tradition in recent years by calling for Jews to pray inside the site.
Israeli police initially prohibited Jewish visitors from entering the site but allowed them inside once the clashes began. AP reported that “several dozen” Jews were ushered into the site under heavy police escort, but only stayed a short time before leaving.
