Clashes At Jerusalem Holy Site

Hundreds of Israeli police in riot gear stormed a disputed holy site Friday, firing tear gas, stun grenades and plastic bullets to disperse Muslim worshippers throwing stones and shoes at them.

After the initial clashes, thousands of Palestinians barricaded themselves in two mosques in the walled compound for about two hours, before police agreed to let them leave without threat of arrest.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is hinting that neither Palestinian President Yasser Arafat nor Lebanese guerrilla chief Hassan Nasrallah should feel that they are exempt from being assassinated.

More than 20 Palestinians were hurt and at least nine arrested in the most violent confrontations at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, since the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in September 2000.

The confrontations at the Jerusalem holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews erupted after Muslim noon prayers.

Initially, several Palestinian youngsters threw stones at police deployed nearby. In response, hundreds of officers with helmets and plastic shields burst into the walled compound, shooting tear gas, stun grenades and plastic bullets, witnesses said.

The crowd of stone throwers grew to several hundred, and worshippers also threw shoes at the baton-wielding officers. Witnesses said that whenever worshippers tried to come out, police fired stun grenades, until the standoff was resolved.

The walled compound, which the Jews call the Temple Mount, is the holiest place in Judaism and third holiest in Islam, reports CBS News Correspondent Robert Berger. It is one of the flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Clashes at the mosque in September 2000 are widely blamed for triggering violence that continues, having claimed the lives of hundreds of Israelis and thousands of Palestinians.

Tension between Israelis and Palestinians has sharpened in recent weeks since Israel assassinated Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and warned that other militant leaders are also considered legitimate targets.

Asked by the newspaper Haaretz whether Arafat and Nasrallah are targets for assassination, Sharon said: "I wouldn't suggest that either of them feel immune … Anyone who kills a Jew or harms an Israeli citizen, or sends people to kill Jews, is a marked man. Period."

Sharon told the newspaper Maariv that Arafat "has no insurance policy." Sharon added that "today, everyone knows Arafat is the obstacle (blocking) any progress."

Palestinian officials said they are taking Sharon's threats seriously. "With these threats, Sharon is threatening the future of the peace process in the region," said Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh.

A spokesman for Nasrallah declined comment.

Sharon's warnings were reinforced by his vice premier and confidant, Ehud Olmert.

"Those involved in killing Jews will have to defend themselves, run away, hide and invest all their energy in defending themselves, that is what the prime minister said," Olmert told Israel Radio.

Israel's army chief, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, made veiled threats against Arafat and Nasrallah last week, after Israel assassinated Yassin. However, security officials said at the time there were no plans to target the two.

Sharon has repeatedly accused Arafat of involvement in attacks on Israelis, saying he encourages and finances militants. Nasrallah said earlier this week Hezbollah will help Hamas avenge the Yassin killing.

In September, Israel's Cabinet decided that Arafat should be "removed" - an intentionally vague statement that could mean he would be expelled or killed. However, Israel has not acted on the threat.

For more than two years, Israel has confined Arafat to his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Sharon's comments, an escalation in rhetoric, came in newspaper interviews published Friday, in which he also said he favors Israeli withdrawal from all of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank settlements of Ganim, Kadim, Homesh and Sanur, for the first time revealing the scope of his unilateral "disengagement" plan. His spokesman confirmed the remarks.

Maariv quoted him as saying Israel would withdraw from all of Gaza, only retaining control over a patrol road between southern Gaza and the Egyptian border, to prevent weapons smuggling.

Sharon initially considered retaining three settlements in northern Gaza. There had also been debate over how many West Bank settlements to evacuate, and it appears Sharon settled for the smallest proposed number of four.

Sharon furthermore hinted at a timetable, saying he hoped by this time next year Israel would be withdrawing.

"We need to get out of Gaza, not to be responsible any more for what happens there," Sharon told Maariv. "I hope that by next Passover we will be in the midst of disengagement, because disengagement is good for Israel."