Thousands of Israeli police have been deployed in Jerusalem as Palestinian groups call for protests over tensions at the al-Aqsa mosque.

The Islamist group Hamas called for a “day of rage”, local media said, while its rival Fatah urged peaceful protests over access to the key holy site.

Sporadic clashes in recent weeks are apparently due to Palestinian fears of extremist Jews gaining entry.

The tensions come as US envoy George Mitchell visits the region for talks.

US attempts to restart peace negotiations appear to have stalled over Israel’s refusal to meet US and Palestinian demands that it freeze all settlement activity in the West Bank.

“We are determined, persevering, and we recognise the complexities and the difficulties,” Mr Mitchell told reporters before meeting Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday.

Israel has made clear that it intends to keep building in East Jerusalem, where the Palestinians want the capital of their future state.

Source/Full Story: BBC NEWS
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