JERUSALEM, March 5 (UPI) -- An Israeli security minister has blamed Hamas for inciting riots that injured 20 policemen and 60 Palestinians at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old city.
Arab worshippers allegedly threw stones at police and Jewish worshippers at the Mugrabi Gate Friday. Officers dispersed the rioters and took control of the Temple Mount courtyard using stun grenades, Ynetnews.com reported.
The rioting spread to other areas of the city, including the Old City's Muslim Quarter and the Arab neighborhood of Ras al-Amud, Ynetnews said.
Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch went to the Temple Mount Friday and accused Hamas and the Islamic Movement's northern branch of igniting the riots.
Five police officers were evacuated to local hospitals for treatment. Emergency service personnel at the scene treated 15 others with less serious injuries.
Rioting at the Temple Mount escalated last week partly in response to a decision by the Israeli Cabinet to include the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem in Israel's national heritage site plan, Ynetnews said.
