At least three members of the Israeli security forces were wounded when shooting broke out at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City Thursday, witnesses said.
The violence erupted as Israeli right-wing opposition leader Ariel Sharon was visiting the site, which is sacred to both Jews and Muslims.
The Palestinians had denounced the visit as provocative, amid deadlock over which side would have sovereignty over the site in a future Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
The Palestinian parliament warned Israel of serious consquences if Sharon went ahead with a planned visit to the mosque compound in east Jerusalem.
The Parliament issued a statement calling on the Israeli government to "stop this visit which risks provoking an explosion of the situation and endangering the Isareli-Palestinian peace process."
The Palestinian information ministry expressed concern in another statement over possible "repitition of the carnage of October 1990" on the mosque compound, which left 18 Palestinians dead after the Israeli army opened fire on people throwing stones at Jews praying below at the Wailing Wall.
The head of the Waqf, the organisation in charge of running Muslim interests there, Adnan Husseini, told public radio that Thursday's planned visit was "provocation."
Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Belin also criticised the plan on the radio, saying the moment was particularly badly chosen -- JERUSALEM (AFP)
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