A tree caught fire outside Al Aqsa Mosque on Monday around 8:30 p.m., but the blaze was quickly put out and no damage was caused to the mosque, witnesses told Reuters.
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Tension has been high in Jerusalem and the witnesses said the blaze was caused accidentally by Palestinians who had thrown fireworks. Israeli police and Palestinians had clashed at the site earlier in the day.
The fire was seen all across the capital until it was extinguished 30 minutes later.
Because of ongoing clashes and the concern that things would get out of control in the site, which is just next to the Western Wall, Israel Police and Border Guard personnel have been deployed in large numbers in the area.
In recent days the Temple Mount compound had been the source of repeated confrontations between Muslim rioters and Israeli security forces because of the ongoing drama surrounding contested homes in Jerusalem and the restrictions placed during the holy month of Ramadan, as well as ongoing celebrations by Jewish groups to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War.
Hundreds of rioters have been injured, as well as several dozen Israeli police officers.
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