Al-Aqsa compound: Jerusalem's flashpoint holy site

The Al-Aqsa mosque compound, or the Temple Mount for Jews, is a highly sensitive site sacred to both Islam and Judaism in the Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. On Tuesday, Israel's extreme-right firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the compound for the first time since becoming national security minister last month, enraging Palestinians who see the move as a provocation. ANCIENT TEMPLES, NIGHT JOURNEY Known to Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary), the compound houses the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, a famous golden shrine. The compound in its current form was built in the seventh century by Islam's second caliph, Omar, on the site of the Second Jewish Temple that was destroyed by the Romans around 70 AD. SELECT ENTRY But over the past few years, Israeli police have repeatedly closed access to the site during times of tension and the number of Jews visiting the compound has increased. DECADES OF TENSIONS A controversial visit to the esplanade in September 2000 by then right-wing opposition leader Ariel Sharon was one of the main triggers for the second Palestinian intifada, an uprising that lasted from 2000 to 2005. In 2017, the compound was temporarily closed after three Arab Israelis opened fire at Israeli police near the site, killing two of them, before fleeing into the compound, where they were shot dead by security forces. In 2021, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the esplanade was again the scene of clashes between Israeli police and Muslim worshippers, events that led up to an 11-day war between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel.