DECADES OF TENSIONS
The site is a lightning rod in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
In 1996, an Israeli decision to open a new entrance to the west of the esplanade sparked clashes that left more than 80 people dead in three days.
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.
The day after Sharon's visit Israeli police shot dead seven Palestinian protesters in clashes.
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.
Two years later, clashes between police and worshippers at the compound left dozens of Palestinians wounded during important Jewish and Muslim commemorations.
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.
In the spring of 2022, the site saw renewed clashes that left hundreds of Palestinians wounded.
