JERUSALEM, Israel - Hundreds of Israeli police on Sunday stormed the mosque compound that is Jerusalem's most contested religious site and tossed stun grenades at Muslims who were throwing stones at Jews worshipping at the nearby Western Wall.
At least 15 policemen and 10 Palestinians were injured inside the hilltop compound, the site where the current round of Israeli-Palestinian violence erupted 10 months ago during a similar confrontation.
The compound contains two mosques and is the third holiest site in Islam, known as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims. The compound is built atop the ruins of the two biblical Jewish temples, the holiest site in Judaism, known as the Temple Mount to Jews.
The day's first confrontation took place when the large police contingent blocked about 30 members of an ultranationalist Jewish group from marching on the mosque compound.
Shortly afterward, Muslims inside the compound began throwing stones, bricks and bottles at hundreds of Jews praying down below at the Western Wall, which forms one exterior wall of the compound.
Many of the Jews, both men and women, fled the barrage, with some holding plastic chairs or prayer shawls over their heads for protection. The stone-throwing prompted police to rush inside.
``We're here to prevent the throwing of stones on Jewish worshippers,'' Jerusalem police chief Mickey Levy, who joined the operation, told Army radio. He said about 400 policemen took part, tossing stun grenades at the Muslims, driving most of them back inside the mosques.
``The Palestinians were just looking for an excuse for a party,'' Levy said. ``I really hope the Palestinians will not try to ignite things again.''
The operation took less than two minutes, he added. However, a tense standoff ensued, and the police remained inside the compound, though they did not enter either of the two mosques.
Because the compound is so sensitive, any incidents at the site can spark a much larger conflagration between Israelis and Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited the mosque area last Sept. 28 - he was the main opposition leader at the time - and provoked outrage among Muslims. Violence broke out the next day when police clashed with Muslims inside the compound.
Tensions were running high Sunday, the Jewish holy day of Tisha B'Av, when observant Jews mark the destruction of Jewish temples at the site in the years 586 B.C. and 70 A.D.
Police were deployed by the hundreds to block the ultranationalist Jews, the Temple Mount Faithful, from reaching the compound and planting a cornerstone for a future Jewish temple.
In a compromise, police permitted the group to hold a short ceremony in a nearby parking lot outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City.
After the ceremony, the cornerstone was taken from the area in a bid to ease tensions. The Temple Mount Faithful demonstrated near a gate leading to the mosques, but the much larger police force easily turned them back.
Muslim groups had called for worshippers to come to the mosques in large numbers, and several thousand turned out to prevent any attempt by Jews to enter the compound.
Ibrahim Sarsour, an Arab Israeli and leader of the Islamic Movement, warned that any radical Jews forcing their way onto the mosque compound would provoke a confrontation.
``If, God forbid, these people will break through the police blockades, we will defend the mosques with our bodies,'' Sarsour told Israel radio.
Israel claims sovereignty over the site, though the Waqf, an Islamic trust, has day-to-day control of the compound. Since the violence broke out, only Muslims have been allowed inside the compound.
The compound was one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations that collapsed amid the current fighting.
Meanwhile, two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians were injured Sunday in an exchange of fire in the village of Surda near the West Bank city of Ramallah, according to Israel's military. The army said Palestinian gunmen opened fire, and the troops shot back.
Palestinian security instructed civilians in the area to evacuate the streets for fear of an escalation.
AP-NY-07-29-01 0750EDT
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press.