Al-Aqsa clashes escalate as Israeli forces besiege mosque

Under a longstanding arrangement, Jews are allowed to visit the compound, but not pray there. About 600 tourists and 100 Israelis visited the site without serious incident.

Clashes have erupted for a second day in a row in occupied Jerusalem after Israeli security forces stormed al-Aqsa Mosque compound and fought with Palestinian worshippers. The took place at a hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City that's revered by Jews & Muslims.

Erdogan demanded that the global community must exert pressure on Israel to accept the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital.

Tensions in and around the holy compound have been running high over the past two weeks, with nearly daily clashes over visits by Jews to the site. Many no longer believe a two-state solution is realistic and support political violence.

The movement encourages organizations and institutions to boycott and divest from Israel until "the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel" have been recognized.

Brief clashes had also broken out on Sunday, and afterwards young Palestinian protesters were seen preparing to "defend" the mosque during Sukkot, stocking stones inside the shrine, barricading doors and planning to sleep there.

The United Nations on Tuesday that Israeli security forces may have used excessive force against Palestinian protesters in East Jerusalem in recent days.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement meanwhile staged a series of protests in the West Bank on Tuesday.

Israeli media identified the victims as Eitam and Naama Henkin, residents of a Jewish West Bank settlement.

However, sources at the Jordanian-funded Waqf told AFP that Israeli police stun grenades were responsible for triggering four fires inside the building. "In a few ways, according to people we've interviewed, this is having a little bit of a contrary effect where a lot of people ... are seeing how those speaking out for justice in Palestine are being treated differently and [they're saying] maybe there's something wrong here".

Following failed negotiation attempts, police entered the al-Aqsa compound at 6:45 am (4:45GMT), and were met with rocks and firecrackers threw by Palestinians within the mosque, the spokesperson said.

It was Abbas' most serious warning yet to that he might walk away from engagement with Israel and dissolve the Palestinian Authority, although he stopped short of accompanying his threat with a deadline.

Despite cool relations, Israel and the Palestinians have maintained close security cooperation to help ease tensions on the ground.

"Such actions", Abbas warned, "risk changing the conflict from a political to a religious one".

An Israeli outskirt policeman faces a Palestinian man amid meetings in the Old City of Jerusalem, Monday, September 28, 2015.

Al-Quds and al-Hayat al-Jadida reported that dozens of Palestinians were injured as Israeli military proceeded to suppress the "uprising" across the West Bank.

In its response, StandWithUs claimed that neither report was "written to protect freedom of speech or academic inquiry", noting that JVP and Palestine Legal are "at the forefront of academic boycotts against Israelis, which have been widely denounced as violations of free expression and academic freedom".