Hundreds of Palestinians riot on Temple Mount, as talk of ‘Third Intifada’ grows

Israeli police used stun grenades to disperse hundreds of Palestinians who rioted on the Temple Mount following Friday prayers.

Rioters threw rocks and at least two Molotov cocktails at police, injuring nine, The Times of Israel reported. Four Palestinians were arrested, and dozens complained of injuries, a police spokesman said.

The Temple Mount is one of the most contested holy sites in the region. Beneath the al Aqsa Mosque are the ruins of the biblically-based Jewish Temple, and riots over ownership of the area are common.

But in recent weeks, tensions between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank have been especially hot. Talk of a mass uprising — a “Third Intifada” — has been growing louder, The Times of Israel reports.

Such talk has been fueled by the recent death of 40-year-old Palestinian Ayman Samarah during his stay in an Israeli jail, The International News reports.

The Palestinian Authority has launched an investigation, the Jerusalem Post reports, claiming the man died at the hands of Israeli torture.

Israel, which performed an autopsy, denies that accusation and says the Palestinian died of heart failure due to unspecified causes, various media reported.

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