Mar 16, 2010 / 19:32 pm
Addressing tensions in Jerusalem, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custodian of the Holy Land, has said the situation is “fairly tense” but deems new violence to be unlikely.
The Israeli government recently decided to build 1,600 new houses in east Jerusalem. Islamic movements responded by proclaiming a “Day of Wrath,” leading Israel to declare a state of maximum alert and to close boundaries with the West Bank.
Masked Palestinians have hurled rocks at Israeli police and burned tires in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as a future capital, the Associated Press says.
Police fired stun grenades to disperse dozens of protesters at one site, while village elders helped end protests at another site.